Adam Carolla Dishes Dirt on Ellen DeGeneres’ Staff Being ‘Scared to Death’ of Her [WATCH]

Comedian and radio host Adam Carolla shared his recollection of appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show over 15 years ago, claiming the staff on set appeared fearful and tense around the host.

Carolla made the comments during an interview on After Party with Emily Jashinsky on Tuesday.

Carolla described an experience backstage before his segment, saying a segment producer approached him to confirm that he would not mention meat or eating meat during his interview with DeGeneres, who was a vegan at the time.

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“He came up and said, ‘Hey, so you’re not going to mention meat, right?’” Carolla recalled.

“I was like, ‘Oh, this guy’s scared to death. This guy’s scared.’”

According to Carolla, the producer returned shortly before he went on stage to reiterate the warning.

“He came back 20 minutes later right before I went out, and he’s like, ‘OK, but don’t talk about beef or meat or any[thing],’” he said.

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Carolla contrasted the atmosphere at DeGeneres’ show with his experiences on other late-night talk shows.

He described working with Jimmy Kimmel and Jay Leno as relaxed and friendly, attributing the difference to the demeanor of the hosts.

He said the atmosphere at both The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Late Show with David Letterman was far more tense.

“Ellen’s show, people were scared — real scared,” he said.

Carolla also said he later spoke with a writer who had worked for both DeGeneres and Rosie O’Donnell.

According to Carolla, that writer said DeGeneres was more difficult than O’Donnell.

“I talked to someone who signed an NDA, so I won’t say his name, but he wrote for Ellen,” Carolla said.

“I just went, ‘How’s Ellen?’ And he said, ‘Worst person, uh, worst person — not worst person I’ve worked for, worst person I’ve ever met.’”

“She’s not a nice person at all,” he added.

“Everyone was scared of her, which means she’s mean. She’s not gonna be mean to me — I’m a guest on the show, right? I wouldn’t know it from my exchanges, I would know it from how her staff was cowering.”

In 2020, The Ellen DeGeneres Show faced public scrutiny following reports alleging a toxic work environment.

Several former employees accused the show’s leadership of fostering a culture of fear and intimidation.

DeGeneres addressed the allegations during the final season of her show and apologized for any harm caused under her leadership.

More recently, DeGeneres addressed the controversy during her 2023 Netflix stand-up special For Your Approval, which marked her return to public performance following the end of her show.

In the special, DeGeneres acknowledged the lasting impact of being labeled “mean” and said the criticism had affected her deeply.

“I’ve spent an entire lifetime trying to make people happy and I’ve cared far too much what other people think of me,” she said during the special.

“So, the thought of anyone thinking that I’m mean was devastating to me, and it consumed me for a long time.”

“After a lifetime of caring, I just can’t anymore. So I don’t,” she added.

DeGeneres currently resides in England with her wife, Portia de Rossi.

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