#ReplaceEllen memes go viral following Ellen DeGeneres Show controversy

4 August 2020, 15:14

NikkieTutorials slams Ellen DeGeneres in damning interview

By Sophie Thompson

What did Ellen DeGeneres do wrong? The talk show host's wife Portia De Rossi has come out in her defence after she was accused of mistreatment of her staff and guests - and now people are making memes about who should replace her.

Ellen DeGeneres is hot news right now. She's been blacklisted by celebrities and staff on her talk show due to claims of mistreatment, and now fans are deciding who they think should replace her.

Beauty blogger NikkieTutorials recently was one of the first celebrities to accuse Ellen of being hostile towards her when she was a guest on the show, and since then, staff have publicly told their stories of sexism, racism and homophobia while working on the production.

Portia De Rossi, who is married to the host, turned heads just yesterday when she added fuel to the fire with an Instagram post claiming "I stand by Ellen" and thanking fans for their support.

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Ellen has already spoken to staff about the ongoing investigation, in a statement obtained by Variety: "On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that The Ellen DeGeneres Show would be a place of happiness—no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case.

"I could not have the success I’ve had without all of your contributions." She continued. "My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that. Alongside Warner Bros., we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues. As we’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. Clearly some didn’t. That will now change and I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again."

Ellen's statement was criticised after she failed to take any of the blame herself, instead directing it at her staff. In a time where people are demanding accountability and taking a zero tolerance approach to platformed people messing up, fans have already decided that they want her to step down.

In fact, #ReplaceEllen has already been trending, and we're obsessed with some of these suggestions...

We're still unsure if Ellen will be stepping down from the show just yet, but despite rumours of James Corden being her official replacement, a source from the show has confirmed that won't be the case.

Potential names CBS could be looking at include Sean Hayes, Kristen Bell, Melissa McCarthy and Jennifer Aniston.

Who would be your dream replacement?

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