Ellen DeGeneres Brand Disaster: Can She Still Save Her Image?
Ellen DeGeneres is one of the most popular TV hosts in the entertainment industry. For the past 17 years, her namesake show has been dominating the airwaves as she has won the hearts of viewers for her compassionate, charitable and witty image.
However, these past few months have been a major downfall for the 62-year-old host after several previous employees and guests claimed that Ellen's show is not how it is perceived.
Ten ex-staff and a current employee of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" recently made a bombshell revelation on BuzzFeed, claiming that they have experienced bullying, racism and a toxic work culture while working for the program.
Because of this left and right backlash coming from in and outside Ellen's work circle, a public relations expert said it could cause Ellen a major brand breakdown.
Ellen's Major Problem
Speaking to Fox News, Reputation Management Consultant Eric Schiffer said that nowadays, being authentic is the bread and butter of every celebrity and public personality. With that said, when their true colors leak, the star's credibility could be easily tainted and lead to public distrust.
Schiffer labeled what is happening to Ellen as a "celebrity brand suicide," and so far, the host's silence on the issues of making everything worse.
After the recent revelation of employees, the show's executives are quick to take the blame and exclude Ellen from the narrative. It is like a low-key way of salvaging Ellen's declining career and image.
But instead of saving Ellen from the disastrous brand suicide, Schiffer said that staying away from it means not taking responsibility for the entire controversy.
"Ellen is unwilling herself to accept full responsibility and is trying to get her senior producers to take the full hit, which further shows a lack of character," Schiffer said.
"A leader steps up and learns from it, and now we're learning that Ellen -- who is considered to be squeaky clean in her persona -- may be leading an organization that has stone-cold crazy racism going on within it. It's horrifying to think about."
As of writing, Ellen has not addressed any of the accusations thrown at her, but she continuously shoots her show at home due to the coronavirus global pandemic.
Schiffer explained that letting her producers take the blame only shows a continued narcissism pattern and a lack of empathy for her staff.
"She should step up and own it, but she's too big of a celebrity in her mind," the brand expert said.
He further suggested that it impossible Ellen was not aware of the alleged abusive behaviors of some senior employees and that she is just keeping a blind eye out of it.
How Could Ellen Recover From The PR Disaster?
Schiffer shared that the only way Ellen could bounce back from this drama is to humbly apologize and personally make amends with the staff through one-on-one meetings. However, it looks like Ellen does not have plans on doing the right thing, which may result in advertisers distrust.
"I think the future of the show is in serious danger because senior executives that must continue to bring in advertising dollars are not going to push products that will cause their clients to run," Schiffer said.
Another possible way for Ellen is to completely disappear from the limelight until people forget about her issues and another controversy takes over. of course, she still needs to address the issues at hand, but it will certainly help for her to step out of the spotlight.
