ELLEN'S APOLOGY ‘I'M A WORK IN PROGRESS'

THE HUMBLED TALK SHOW HOST IS BACK AT WORK AND READY TO BARE ALL ON HER ‘TOXIC WORKPLACE’ SCANDAL

- Jennie Noonan

Hitting the Warner Bros studio stage for the first time in months, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres kicked off season 18 of her scandal-plagued show by addressing the elephant in the room.

“How was everybody’s summer? Good? Yeah? Mine was great,” the 62-year-old dryly joked, holding two thumbs up. “Super-terrific.”

As has been widely reported, a BuzzFeed News report in July – based on dozens of interviews with ex-staffers – prompted an internal investigation into The Ellen DeGeneres Show. As a result, three of the show’s producers have stepped down amid allegations of bullying, sexual misconduct, and racially insensitive remarks.

During her five-minute opening monologue, DeGeneres – who had been taping the show from her home during quarantine – was speaking to a virtual audience, with faces beamed in on monitors placed in the audience seats.