PR Crisis: Ellen
Talk show host and comedian, Ellen DeGeneres is the latest celebrity on the hit list that could be cancelled. Both she and the top management of her hit talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” are under an internal investigation by the show’s distributor, Warner Brothers. PR problems reached a boiling point when BuzzFeed News published an expose that alleged a “toxic work culture” at her show – contrary to the “be kind” image Ellen has cultivated.
More reports surfaced of racist incidents, sexual misconduct, and poor treatment of employees, putting the future of the show in doubt. DeGeneres attempted to stem some of the damage by issuing an apology to staff but also denying direct knowledge of the alleged misconduct and seemingly shifting the blame to senior staff.
This brought forth allegations by guests who had been on the show including actress Lea Thompson, and Dutch beauty blogger Nikkie de Jager that misconduct was common knowledge.
Key lessons for celebrities and brands in terms of crisis management:
Be authentic to your brand. Ellen long had the reputation among the public for being funny, kind, and compassionate. She was portrayed as a ‘woke’ celebrity before people spoke about being ‘woke’. These allegations, particularly in this climate shattered that image and go against everything that people believed about her brand.
Offer a sincere apology that takes responsibility. Ellen issued an apology. Issue was the apology was seen as shifting blame for what happened on to senior staff. She never took responsibility for anything making the apology come across incredibly insincere. People were looking to see her take responsibility and offer concrete steps for moving forward. Rather it was seen as being evasive and actually created more controversy and criticism.
Have a public defence team. The most shocking part of this for us so far is the total silence of Ellen’s numerous A-list celebrity friends to these allegations. Indeed, what has been most notable is the number of actors and actresses, along with other guests that are stepping forward to confirm the allegations and condemn Ellen. Lack of support is always an ominous sign.
Have a strategy for moving forward. Ellen and her team have appeared to have no strategy on how to move forward and change the narrative. Rather there has been a constant back and forth if she will quit the show. This is the time she should be making changes publicly for the future.
Have a social media strategy. Beyond the allegations against her and her management, most of the damage being done to Ellen is occurring on social media. So far, her team are not proactive in dealing with this. Failure to address social media is fatal during a crisis, especially one at such a large size and international interest with such career risking accusations.