Celebrity News

Katy Perry, Jerry O’Connell support Ellen DeGeneres amid scandal

Ellen DeGeneres’ celebrity friends are defending the talk show host amid reports that she has been “mean” to her staff and others behind the scenes.

Katy Perry, who has appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” many times, took to Twitter on Tuesday to show her support.

“I know I can’t speak for anyone else’s experience besides my own but I want to acknowledge that I have only ever had positive takeaways from my time with Ellen & on the @theellenshow,” Perry, 35, tweeted. “I think we all have witnessed the light & continual fight for equality that she has brought to the world through her platform for decades. Sending you love & a hug, friend @TheEllenShow.”

Many criticized the “Roar” singer for speaking out, including one fan who wrote, “You’re rich and well known Katy. you may have had positive experience, but her staffs & co workers have spoken out on how they are mistreated, you can not just invalidate their experience and feelings.”

Diane Keaton also lent her support to the embattled talk show host, writing on social media Tuesday, “I ALWAYS ENJOYED MY VISITS TO THE ELLEN SHOW. I’VE SEEN HOW THE AUDIENCE EXUDES HAPPINESS AND GRATITUDE. SHE GIVES BACK TO SO MANY INCLUDING ME.”

On Monday, Jerry O’Connell reposted a photo DeGeneres’ wife, Portia de Rossi, first shared on her Instagram that said, “I Stand By Ellen.”

“Love Ellen and Portia,” he captioned the post. “Always have. Always will.”

O’Connell, 46, was also criticized in the comments, with one person saying, “If you’re a truer friend and are going to stand with her. Then also stand with her when she’s wrong and let her know she’s wrong for the way she’s treated people.”

Polo player Nacho Figueras, who is best friends with Prince Harry, shared on his Instagram on Monday that he has been on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” many times and finds it to be a “very well run machine.”

“Everyone was super nice, not just to me but to each other and anyone involved,” he wrote in the caption of a photo of him and DeGeneres, 62, hugging. “I have seen Ellen act not just in her show but in public appearances in theaters where she is nice to absolutely everyone, the guy serving the coffee, the person in the elevator, the security guy and the owner of the venue.”

He added that everyone loves DeGeneres because she “makes the world a better place for millions of people everyday.”

He encouraged others to look past her alleged missteps because “no one is perfect, and we cannot control everything.”

Getting ahead of the backlash, Figueras, 43, added, “If I am going to be criticized for defending someone that I think deserves to be defended then so be it. We are all so scared to say what we really think and it seems that we are only relevant if we say whatever the trending social media topic is.”

Since May, DeGeneres has come under fire for alleged rude behavior to show staffers.

In July, WarnerMedia launched an investigation through a third-party firm to see if there was any truth to the accusations of a toxic workplace culture on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

DeGeneres has admitted some fault, saying in part in a memo to staffers that she is “sorry” because as they’ve “grown exponentially, I’ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done.”