Katy Perry doubles down on her support for embattled Ellen DeGeneres amid toxic talk show scandal
Katy Perry (L) enthusiastically threw her support to Ellen DeGeneres amid accusations of bullying. (Getty)
Katy Perry has defended her controversial comments about Ellen DeGeneres, saying she doesn’t need “everyone to agree” with her.
The singer-songwriter faced backlash last week when she jumped to the defence of DeGeneres, whose long-running talk show has faced allegations of bullying, racism and sexual misconduct on set.
DeGeneres herself has been accused of “turning a blind eye” while staff were allegedly mistreated.
But Perry, who is currently gearing up to release her fifth studio album Smile, leapt to DeGeneres’ defence in a much-maligned two-part tweet.
“I know I can’t speak for anyone else’s experience besides my own but I want to acknowledge that I have only ever had positive takeaways from my time with Ellen and on The Ellen Show,” Perry tweeted.
“I think we all have witnessed the light and continual fight for equality that she has brought to the world through her platform for decades. Sending you love and a hug, friend.”
Katy Perry defended her comments about Ellen DeGeneres, saying she was speaking from her own experience.
In a new interview with the LA Times, Perry defended her comments.
“I started that tweet off not undermining anyone else’s experience,” Perry said.
“I wanted to only speak from my own experience. I have over 100 million people that follow me on Twitter, so not everyone is going to agree with me.
“And I’m not here to make everyone agree with me,” she added.
The singer faced fierce backlash from fans last week following her defence of DeGeneres, with many pointing out that Perry – a wealthy, white woman – would not have been subjected to the same treatment as staff working behind the scenes.
This has big “my experience was fine so idk what you’re talking about” energy, yikes https://t.co/xFqoesNGow
— benjamin dean (@NotAgainBen) August 4, 2020
A rich white woman being treated well by another rich white woman. https://t.co/HzVQK2S7Nb pic.twitter.com/eLHmk8U4Ai— Tanya Compas (@TanyaCompas) August 4, 2020
Degeneres has faced backlash after former staff alleged that racism and bullying were rampant on set.
DeGeneres has seen her reputation torn to shreds in recent weeks and months as former staff members and past guests have spoken out about their experiences working with the star.
Earlier this year, a viral Twitter thread encouraged people to share their stories about DeGeneres being “one of the meanest people alive”.
The controversy intensified last month when BuzzFeed published a report that painted a damning picture of alleged racism and intimidation on the show.
DeGeneres, 62, is said to have fired people for attending family funerals or taking medical leave, while producers joked that they’d mix up two Black employees because they had the same hairstyle.
One Black woman alleged that one of the show’s main writers said they only know the names of white employees, and people just “awkwardly laughed it off” rather than confronting it.
Others claimed that direct managers instructed lower-ranking employees not to speak to Ellen if they saw her around the office.
One staffer was reportedly ordered to take down a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for medical costs not covered by the show’s insurance.
Overall, the former staff blamed senior managers and producers for the toxicity, but stressed that as it’s DeGeneres’ name on the brand “she really needs to take more responsibility”.
“I think the executive producers surround her and tell her, ‘Things are going great, everybody’s happy,'” one staff member suggested. “And she just believes that, but it’s her responsibility to go beyond that.”
Despite the backlash, DeGeneres’ wife Portia de Rossi said earlier this week that the star has no immediate plans to step down from her talkshow.
