Ellen DeGeneres’ popularity dealt another massive blow, capping off a year plagued by controversy
Ellen DeGeneres during a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. (Getty/Brooks Kraft)
Ellen DeGeneres has lost hundreds of thousands of social media followers – more than any other celebrity this year – a report has found.
DeGeneres has seen her Twitter and Instagram followings nosedive along with her eponymous talk show’s ratings this year, with Jeffree Star and JK Rowling suffering similar dents to their followings.
Each of the trio has been embroiled by controversies this year: DeGeneres’ show was accused of “toxicity”, Star’s history of racist slurs and comments saw him lose a high-profile contract, and Rowling sparked outrage with her views on trans lives.
In the aftermath, according to a study by GamblingDeals.com seen by the Metro.co.uk, DeGeneres lost 545,000 followers on Instagram and more than 612,000 on Twitter. The company analysed data from Social Blade.
Nevertheless, the 62-year-old is heading out of this truly cursed year with a sturdy 92.1 million Instagram following and 79.5 million followers on Twitter.
Star, the beauty blogger who also took a drubbing this year when YouTuber Tati Westbrook accused him of spewing “poisonous lies” about make-up artist James Charles, also saw a decrease this year.
Trailing behind DeGeneres, he lost 487,151 followers on Twitter and 444,448 on Instagram.
Rowling lost 351,000 Twitter followers this year after she restyled herself as an expert on trans lives, comparing the healthcare options for trans youth to conversion therapy.
Ellen DeGeneres’ once-sparkling reputation has been whittled away this year amid a patchwork of claims from former and current The Ellen DeGeneres Show staffers that the set was engulfed by “toxicity”.
The flood gates opened after one of DeGeneres’ ex-employees, Kevin T Porter, described her as “one of the meanest people alive” in a winding Twitter thread, prompting countless staffers – former and present – to come forward with accusations.
Following an internal investigation into the claims, producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman were all fired.
DeGeneres had vastly remained on mute throughout the wave of allegations. When Ellen returned for its 18th season, she addressed the issue in a seven-minute-long monologue, admitting that she’s a “work in progress”and that she has “taken responsibility”.
