Ellen DeGeneres says toxic workplace scandal was 'orchestrated' and 'I still don't understand it'

Ellen DeGeneres is speaking out about her show's toxic workplace scandal after revealing plans to sign off in 2022.

DeGeneres spoke with NBC's Today after announcing Wednesday her daytime talk show will end after its upcoming season, a decision she says was not due to reports of a toxic work environment there. The TV host said, however, that "I really did think about not coming back" after the "devastating" allegations suggesting she is not a "kind person."

Asked if she felt like she was "being canceled," DeGeneres said, "I really didn't understand it. I still don't understand it. It was too orchestrated. It was too coordinated." She added, "It was really interesting because I'm a woman, and it did feel very misogynistic."

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DeGeneres in a previous interview with The Hollywood Reporter shot down "stupid" claims about her, such as that people "couldn't look me in the eye," and she said that the fact that "everything I stand for was being attacked ... destroyed me." Numerous reports last year alleged employees of The Ellen DeGeneres Show have experienced "racism, fear, and intimidation," and three top producers were ousted following an investigation.

In her interview with Today, DeGeneres contended that she "never saw anything that would even point to" there being a toxic work environment on her show, arguing she couldn't have known about it "when there's 255 employees here ... unless I literally stayed here until the last person goes home at night." She added, though, "I have to be the one to stand up and say, 'This can't be tolerated.'" Brendan Morrow