‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’s Ratings Have Plummeted Following Allegations Of A Toxic Workplace

Season 18 of The Ellen DeGeneres Show started with an apology.

In response to allegations of a toxic workplace, including current and former employees claiming they faced “racism, fear, and intimidation” on the daytime talk show, host Ellen DeGeneres said that she was “so sorry to the people who were affected. I know that I’m in a position of privilege and power. And I realized that with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show.” The prospect of watching Ellen grovel for the public’s forgiveness could have been enticing for some, but ratings for the premiere were even with last season — and they have only plummeted since.

The New York Times reports that The Ellen DeGeneres Show is averaging 1.5 million viewers per episode this season, “down from 2.6 million in the same period last year… The show’s loss of more than a million viewers translates to a 43 percent decline, representing a steeper drop than any of its competitors.” Ellen is now well behind former competitors Dr. Phil (3.1 million) and Live: With Kelly and Ryan (2.7 million) and closer to Rachael Ray (1.2 million) and The Steve Wilkos Show (1.1 million):

The loss of viewers includes a 38 percent decline in her core audience, adult women under 54, according to Nielsen. And it appears to have put a dent in the show’s ad revenue. From September to January of the 2019-20 season, Ellen brought in $131 million from advertisers, according to the research firm Kantar. That has fallen to $105 million for the same period in 2020-21, a drop of about 20 percent.

Somewhere out there, Dakota Johnson might be smiling.

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