Inside the Chaos: Ellen DeGeneres’ Former Writer Spills the Tea on Toxic Talk Show Culture
Quinn Parker here—caffeine buzzed, eyes wide, and ready to spill the tea that’s been steeping for years. You know how your aunt shows up to Thanksgiving with a story so wild you almost drop your sweet potato casserole? Well, buckle up, because this one’s got drama, control freaks, and a banana-induced audience wave that went horribly, hilariously wrong.
Let’s rewind to the early days of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, a time when daytime TV was still shiny and new. Emmy-winning writer and comedian Greg Fitzsimmons recently opened up about his experience working on the show’s first two seasons—and let’s just say it wasn’t all confetti and surprise gifts.
At first, Fitzsimmons thought he’d hit the jackpot. He was a fan of Ellen’s comedy and jumped at the chance to write for her. The vibe was playful, with a ping-pong table and a bunch of pranks. But as the show gained traction, things started to shift. “She was rough,” Fitzsimmons admitted on the We Might Be Drunk podcast. “She was the C-word.”
Things got weird fast. Fitzsimmons ended up as the audience warm-up guy—something he didn’t plan on doing. But hey, extra cash and a quick 10-minute gig, right? Wrong. He had the audience do the wave every time he said “banana.” That would’ve been fine—except Ellen used the word in her monologue. The crowd did the wave. She stopped mid-joke. And then it happened again. Fitzsimmons had to run onstage and explain the chaos. “She was f***ing seething,” he recalled.
That moment set the tone for the rest of his time on the show. Ellen, who had once been a comedic icon, became increasingly difficult to work for. “If you didn’t pitch in her wheelhouse, then she looked at you like you had just f***ing stabbed her puppy,” Fitzsimmons said. The show started winning Emmys, but the atmosphere turned toxic. People were either “in” or “out” of Ellen’s inner circle, and the fear was real.
He noted that while he was used to tough bosses—having written for Bill Maher—he saw first-time writers break down in tears. “A lot of crying always,” he added. The Post reached out to Ellen’s team for comment, but no response was given.
Of course, this all came to a head in 2020 when allegations of a toxic work environment surfaced. Ellen addressed the accusations on-air, apologizing and calling herself “a work in progress.” She wrapped up her final season in 2022, finished her last stand-up tour in 2024, and now lives in the UK with her wife, Portia de Rossi.
With Ellen out of the spotlight, Fitzsimmons isn’t holding back. “I think she’s out of the country,” he teased. “I don’t know if she listens to podcasts.”
So what’s the takeaway here? Even the brightest stars can cast the darkest shadows. And sometimes, the people we see smiling on TV are the same ones making life miserable behind the scenes.
Whew! That was a LOT to process!
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post
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