The staff behind “The Ellen Show” is reportedly outraged, arguing that they aren’t being treated fairly during the shutdown from the coronavirus pandemic.
The production crew, which consists of roughly 30 people, was given no formal communication regarding the status of their jobs for a month, according to a report published Thursday by Variety.
The crew on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show says there’s been no communication about their hours or pay, and producers haven’t asked about their mental or physical health in over a month https://t.co/Cmv52VwpNj pic.twitter.com/sAdnfpi9vr
— Variety (@Variety) April 17, 2020
The staffers were specifically given no information regarding working hours or pay, anonymous sources told the outlet. When crew reached out to production executives, they were allegedly given little information.
The issue was reportedly exacerbated by the show’s hiring of a third-party tech company to help DeGeneres tape the show from her home. Only four crew members from DeGeneres‘ original show reportedly help record from home.
The crew was reportedly told recently to prepare for a 60% reduction in pay, although “The Ellen Show” continues to air from DeGeneres’ home. (RELATED: Ellen DeGeneres Facing Backlash Over Quarantine Joke About It ‘Like Being In Jail’)
A representative for Warner Bros. reportedly admitted the communication could have been better, but cited coronavirus as the reason it wasn’t.
“Our executive producers and Telepictures are committed to taking care of our staff and crew and have made decisions first and foremost with them in mind,” the representative told Variety. “When returning from break, the crew was paid the week of March 30th despite having no firm plans for production to resume.”