KEY POINTS

  • Lea Thompson is sounding off on the alleged 'toxic environment' issue on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' 
  • She agreed on Brad Garrett's statement 
  • More than 10 former employees revealed their harrowing experiences on the show 

“Back to the Future” actress Lea Thompson is on the same page as Brad Garrett regarding Ellen DeGeneres’ role in the alleged “toxic” environment on the set of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

On Friday, Thompson took to Twitter to share her two cents on DeGeneres. Responding to a post by People regarding Garrett’s claims that the host’s mistreatment of staff was “common knowledge,” the actress backed his statement, commenting, “True story. It is.”

The “Everybody Loves Raymond” star earlier took to Twitter to weigh in on DeGeneres’ contribution in the controversies surrounding “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” after the talk show host sent a letter of apology to the crew.

“Sorry but it comes from the top @TheEllenShow. Know more than one who were treated horribly by her. Common knowledge,” he wrote.

This comes two weeks after one current and 10 former employees of the “Ellen Show” divulged the mistreatment they experienced under the show’s higher-ups in a damning BuzzFeed News article. Some of these staffers, who spoke in condition of anonymity, detailed how they were slapped with penalties when they took medical leaves or tried to raise funds for medical costs.

One Black staffer said that she faced racial discrimination and microaggressions during her time working at the “Ellen Show.” Some of crew members said they were dismissed after requesting to attend the funeral of a family member or after they took medical leaves.

No claims were made against the host, but one staffer believes that workplace matters didn’t reach DeGeneres as the producers hid these from her. Another former employee said the “be kind” mantra was just “for show.”

“We are truly heartbroken and sorry to learn that even one person in our production family has had a negative experience. It’s not who we are and not who we strive to be, and not the mission Ellen has set for us,” producers Andy Lassner, Ed Glavin and Mary Connelly said in a joint statement sent to Entertainment Tonight after the article was released.

The three bosses added that the employees’ revelations made them realize that they needed to do better. However, the controversies didn’t end when “Ellen” producers addressed the issue, prompting its parent company, WarnerMedia, to conduct an internal investigation.

BuzzFeed published another article on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in which many employees accused head writer and executive producer Kevin Leman of sexual misconduct.

They also claimed that the showrunner would often behave inappropriately toward young employees or those whom he felt wouldn’t report his actions.

“He’d probably do it in front of 10 people, and they’d laugh because ‘it’s just Kevin being Kevin,’ but if you’re in a position of power at a company, you don’t just get to touch me like that,” an anonymous staffer said.

Lea Thompson Oscars 2012
Lea Thompson Oscars 2012 Reuters