Former Ellen Show DJ Tony Okungbowa Talks On Set ‘Toxicity,’ As Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Hart Come to Ellen DeGeneres’ Defense

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Former Ellen DeGeneres Show DJ Tony Okungbowa

The Ellen DeGeneres Showโ€˜s former DJ Tony Okungbowa has said that he felt a โ€œtoxicityโ€ in the working environment during his time on the talk show.

His comments come after it was announced last week that the show will be the subject of an internal investigation following a number of complaints by former and current staff members.

DJ Tony, who was the showโ€™s resident DJ between 2003 and 2006 and again from 2007 to 2013, shared a photo of himself on the show on Instagram and revealed that he has been โ€œgetting callsโ€ asking him about his experience on the show, saying that he would โ€œlike to address the time I spent there.โ€

โ€œHey Guys, I hope you are all keeping safe out there during these trying times. I have been getting calls asking me about the Ellen Degeneres Show and I would like to address the time I spent there.โ€

โ€œI was on air talent from 2003-2006 and from 2007-2013. While I am grateful for the opportunity it afforded me, I did experience and feel the toxicity of the environment and I stand with my former colleagues in their quest to create a healthier and more inclusive workplace as the show moves forward.โ€

Late last month, Warner Bros. Television sent an internal memo informing staffers that WarnerMedia would be seeking the services of an independent third-party firm to interview current and former employees about their experiences behind the scenes on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, after one current and 10 former employees anonymously spoke with BuzzFeed News about their negative experiences on the show.

Singer Katy Perry previously came to Ellenโ€™s defense, and now Kevin Hart and Ashton Kutcher are defending the talk show host as well.

Kutcher (who apparently recently blocked us on Twitter for some reason?๐Ÿ˜ข We love you Demi Moore!) tweeted:

โ€œI havenโ€™t spoken with @TheEllenShow and can only speak from my own experience. She & her team have only treated me & my team w/ respect & kindness. She never pandered to celebrity which I always saw as a refreshing honesty. When things arenโ€™t right she handles it and fixes.โ€

Kevin Hart posted the following on Instagram:

โ€œItโ€™s crazy to see my friend go thru what sheโ€™s going thru publicly. I have known Ellen for years and I can honestly say that sheโ€™s one of the dopest people on the fucking planet. She has treated my family and my team with love and respect from day 1. The internet has become a crazy world of negativityโ€ฆ.we are falling in love with peoples down fall. Itโ€™s honestly sadโ€ฆWhen did we get here? I stand by the ones that I know and that I love. Looking forward to the future where we get back to loving one anotherโ€ฆ.this hate shit has to stop. Hopefully it goes out of style soonโ€ฆ.This post is not meant to disregard the feelings of others and their experiencesโ€ฆ.Itโ€™s simply to show what my experiences have been with my friend. Love you for life Ellenโ€ฆโ€

It is great to see that Ellenโ€™s friends are coming to her defense, but they are missing the point. The majority of her guests (and those who are her friends) were probably treated very well during their time on set.

That is not the point. It is how her staff and co-workers were treated and how the non-celebrities who interacted with Ellen and her staff were treated.

While not citing her experiences with Ellen DeGeneres specifically, actress Rachel Bloom gave a thoughtful take on what it is like to be a celebrity talk show guest and to work behind the scenes on a talk show.

โ€œJust wanna say that I have both worked behind the scenes of tv shows and been the celebrity guest on them and the two experiences are very different. Having a good time being a guest does not necessarily have anything to do with the experiences of the employees.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m not saying this to put anyone on blast, I just wanted to offer my POV as someone whoโ€™s had the amazing fortune to experience both worlds.โ€

โ€œAlso, Iโ€™m not implying that anywhere Iโ€™ve worked or guested on has been bad. I just know that they are two profoundly different experiences.โ€

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