TV host Ellen DeGeneres recently found herself in hot water as multiple former employees spoke out about the poor treatment they received on set including allegations of bullying, sexual misconduct and racism. While many A-list celebs came rushing to defend Ellen, the overwhelming evidence provided by past staff that the set was “dominated by fear” led to an investigation being launched by WarnerMedia in late July of this year. 

Soon after this Ellen penned a letter to staff members in which she spoke about allegations of a discriminatory and toxic environment as well as her intent to implement new changes towards ensuring better working conditions. Now as The Ellen Show returns for its 18th season she has addressed the allegations publicly for the very first time.

The host kicked off the new season with a six-minute long monologue where she took accountability for her role in the toxic environment on set and assured the audience that the necessary changes had been made to create a better work environment. 

Opening the show, Ellen greeted her virtual audience with a joke about the negative press she has been receiving following the scandal: “Welcome to season 18 of The Ellen DeGeneres Show! If you’re watching because you love me, thank you. If you’re watching because you don’t love me, welcome”.

She continued: “Let’s get to it. As you may have heard, this summer there were allegations of a toxic work environment at our show, and then there was an investigation. I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously and I want to say I am so sorry to the people who were affected. I know that I am in a position of privilege and power and I realize that with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show.”

As well as this, Ellen also addressed and apologised for her own personal shortcomings saying: “My intention is to always be the best person I can be, and if I’ve ever let someone down if I’ve ever hurt their feelings, I am so sorry for that. If that’s ever the case, I have let myself down and I’ve hurt myself as well because I always try to grow as a person, I look at everything that comes into my life as an opportunity to learn.”

As of right now, however, this apology does not seem to have been enough to convince many viewers that the star has truly changed with the video sitting at just over a million views with just 19k likes compared to 24k dislikes. The full opening monologue is available to view here.