As the heat got turned higher under talk show host Ellen DeGeneres for alleged maltreatment of staffers, her wife, Portia de Rossi, came out in defense of her life partner on Monday.
“To all our fans….we see you. Thank you for your support,” the actress wrote on Instagram, next to a picture with huge letters declaring, “I Stand By Ellen.”
She followed it with the hash tag “stopbotattacks,” though with no explanation as to what the bot attacks might be, plus several variations on the “stand by Ellen” theme, and another urging people to “be kind to one another.”
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DeGeneres, 62, has already issued an apology for any mistreatment of her employees and said lead producer Ed Glavin was leaving the show.
But some said she had not taken enough responsibility. “Everybody Loves Raymond” star and stand-up comedian Brad Garrett tweeted on Friday, “Sorry but it comes from the top,” intimating that she not only knew but also contributed to what some have called a “toxic” atmosphere.
Warner Media is also conducting an internal investigation.
The trouble surfaced back in April amid the crew’s allegations that their pay had been cut by 60% and they had received little to no communication about how the pandemic would affect their jobs. Meanwhile, they alleged, she hired non-union people to help mount the show from her home.