What will Ellen’s PR damage control look like?

NO she doesn't like children I believe.

She would have had a ton by now if she had.

Portia leaves Ellen, leaving her sad, broken and alone. Everyone must then take pity on her!

THEN - the return of...Anne.

She needs to play the race (or in her case gay) card. It will stop this shit immediately.

She just needs to go away and be quiet for awhile and then be associated with a good project... produce or something like that. In the pre publicity enough people can deliver the really mellowed message that it's all forgotten.

She hasn't killed anybody she's just been an asshole.

But for the strategy to work she's going to have to choose to stop being an asshole. I doubt t she's got enough friends to stage an effective intervention and she may just want to take her money and carry on.

R3 Are you kidding? Ellen drove Anne to madness and then men.

R6 = Anne

When Anne went away with the aliens... stupidest episode of The Colby's ever. I was so relieved Jeff made fun of it when they went back to Dynasty.

I haven't been as exposed to Anne as many of the American gays round here - but what I have seen of her, she seems to be a good and very natural actress and also rather witty as an actress. But from a freaky family background, which she readily admits.

There must be quite a story behind her relationship with Ellen.

She already has denied she knew anything about the sexual abuse allegations by thirty-six (!!!!!!!) staffers against her producers. That makes her look completely out of touch with the production, which makes her a terrible boss. The terrible boss/terrible rumors have been simmering for years now.

She’ll have to wind down the show now. She can’t and won’t change her personality, and even if she goes on good behavior for a while, people will be paying attention because Evil Ellen is quite a salacious news story.

I’d predict she will try to wrest control and to continue her show (and may succeed for a while) but then ultimately will wind down, decide to pursue new creative opportunities producing and doing some voice roles.

Then, within 5-10 years, the typical cycle of liking (sitcom Ellen), hating (I’m Gay Ellen), loving (talk show Ellen), ‘discovering the truth about’ (current Ellen), hating into hiding (next Ellen), and then confessional Ellen (5-10 years from now) will run its course. She will go quiet and keep raking in money through producing and licensing.

After that, stories will come out about how she had been unhappy for years on the creatively limiting talk show and that manifested as rumors of being ‘mean’ and distancing herself from the production—which is how she was unaware of the abuses on set! And learning of those abuses made her realize that it couldn’t go on. She had wanted to quit the show earlier, but she felt responsible for all her employees’ incomes and she knew the show was changing lives! But finally she realized her depression wouldn’t let her be the good boss she had once been and she needed to take a break! But now...now she is happier and back with her Big New Project!

Online gossip sources say that Ellen's strategy is to save her show and herself by throwing her (white male) producers and team to the wolves. She can spin it all as a sexist, Me-Too kind of thing: these dudes were all creating a hostile work-environment, she only went along with it, she's sorry but it really wasn't her, etc.

I'd bet on this. Her talk show is too much of a money machine (and Ellen loves $$$ even more than she loves Portia) for her to walk away just yet. She'll revamp the show and make a big deal of cleaning house and public mea culpas while she tries to salvage her rep.

Her audience is clueless fraus, anyway. They'll fall into line.

Anything COVID related is out of the question, she already tried donating masks at the beginning of the crisis and it earned her zero points, the stories kept coming.

wow, R10: we were posting at the same time.

I heartily agree.

I five years she'll be 67. In ten, 72... she's not that talented.

Her primetime game show was a really interesting turn of events. It had strong ratings when it launched, but interestingly a lot of professional and amateur critics observed in writing that the basis of the show seems to involve Ellen taking personal joy in humiliating and scaring people.

She's a mean bitch. A lot of successful comics are: aggression and anger are the fuel behind their comedy.

Like Rosie O'Donnell back in the 90s, Ellen was good at inhabiting the "nice" personna, until she wasn't. The mask has slipped.

(It's interesting how much those 2 have in common. They reportedly hate one another.)

In my personal experience, adult "pranksters" have a mean and evil streak in them a mile long.

[quote]Then, within 5-10 years, the typical cycle of liking (sitcom Ellen), hating (I’m Gay Ellen), loving (talk show Ellen), ‘discovering the truth about’ (current Ellen), hating into hiding (next Ellen), and then confessional Ellen (5-10 years from now)

R10 "The typical cycle?" Nice try attempting to normalize and trivialize years of hatefulness and abusive behavior, flack.

On air colonoscopy.

Ellen to weeping employees: "Oh FFS do the goddam job I'm paying you for and stop whining and making excuses for your laziness and incompetence".

"I've spent a decade soft pedaling my expectations and I've had it up here with your snivelling and buck passing".

"You're all a pain in my fat ass, now get the fuck out and do your goddam jobs"!

Taking that tangent might control the PR damage a bit.

R18 it’s a typical popular opinion/media depiction of celebrities. From Madonna to Britney to Cher to Angelina, these cycles are pretty predictable.

1. It Girl

2. Talent is questioned.

3. Slutty/awful person rumors create popular backlash.

4. Popularly hated (creating fanatical cult following of people who stick up for them)

5. They go off the radar.

6. Now they are missed. “Whatever happened to?” This is the opportunity to re-create the persona and emerge, either as a saint (mother, adoptive mother, UN ambassador) or as someone who went into hiding because they were victimized (cruel industry, cruel man, cruel public, cruel media OR disease that had to be suffered through privately).

7. Leveraged into “comeback” project.

8. Now that they have survived the cycle, they’ve got credit as a superstar.

9. If they stick around long enough, the cycle continues.

It’s Hollywood PR 101.

Or she could go into heavy therapy and come back to share with the world what she learned for herself and how she can now help others.

Come back with a "New Agey" or whatever it will be called then, show with all sorts of spiritual and motivational people - like Oprah did.

She's going to have to go away for a while to survive this. Cancel the show, enjoy a few years off and then see what happens after Trump has finished fucking up the country. People might get hardened and the "cancel culture" might backfire to the point where people will welcome her back; flaws and all. It's just she's not going to be able to be in the public eye right now without permanently destroying her brand. She needs to show remorse in order for the public to forgive her, even if she doesn't really mean it. Really, though, she should reflect on her situation and cut some people off (Kevin Hart, George Bush, other A-list homophobes). Maybe she can redeem herself after this. Maybe. Doubtful, but maybe.

I thought DWTS is where celebs go to start their journey towards image rehabilitation.

[quote]She needs to show remorse

DING! DING! DING!

R23 wins the thread.

Ellen lacks the maturity to handle this properly. She is like a child pointing fingers at everyone else. Brad Garrett made it clear that Ellen treated people horribly and Lea Thompson backed him up.

[quote]It’s Hollywood PR 101.

R21 See, we knew you were a PR flack. Now STFU and stop trying to deflect and normalize the mountain of abuse, toxic work culture, sexual harassment and sadistic denigration happening on Ellen's watch.

I'd forgotten about her "publically forgiving" Kevin Hart. Jesus. And the Bush debacle.

Fuck you, Ellen.

Back then people on here used to say that it was Ellen who drove Anne batshit crazy. I now believe it.

I don't think so. Do you know any of Anne's backstory? She was a walking timebomb. I began reading her book but gave up on it. But I also gave up on Sachi Parker's book and came back to it and realized what I had almost missed out on.

I'm not sure she cares. At this point she could totally just retire and live off of her wealth for the rest of her years. She's gotta be a bazillionaire by now.

R30 Good for you. Sachi's book is a must-read.

Since I learned Portia is an Australian woman who changed her name and weirdly learned to speak in a perfect American accent as an adult not only on camera but in her everyday life, I figured she’s probably batshit crazy with some kind of traumatic background. Charlize Theron has a good excuse: she only spoke Afrikaans growing up and learned English in the US, so she doesn’t have a South African accent when she speaks English. But Portia has self-image issues and Ellen most likely exploits them to control her.

Maybe Clooney can recommend a good Fixer?

I think the show will continue, even if it has to limp along for a while. See Wendy Williams. Advertiser money can still be made. Ellen will probably try to soften her image and throw some of her managers under the bus (saying she should have had more control over management). If she were heterosexual and/or had kids, she would trot out her spouse and kids so that her audience could feel empathy for her. I don't think she can trot out Portia, who looks troubled all the time (like she was just crying).

[quote] I don't think she can trot out Portia, who looks troubled all the time (like she was just crying).

R35 True but the fact is, Portia is the most likable thing about Ellen.

I ending up watching some video of Ellen and Portia R36 and everyone was talking to Portia and she was smiling. They seemed to have just ignored Ellen.

R37 Because everyone knows Ellen can't deal with eye contact and has all the charm of a rattlesnake IRL.

Now with video!

Blind item about Ellen from 2016 solved!

Public trip to rehab, creation of a new public "niceness" initiative followed by marriage vow renewal after Portia renegotiates the prenup.

Can you imagine what it is like to be living with Ellen right now.

R42 They're the richest lesbos in the world, they never have to even see each other if they don't want to.

[quote][R30] Good for you. Sachi's book is a must-read.

A classic in its own time

[quote] ... a lot of professional and amateur critics observed in writing that the basis of the show seems to involve Ellen taking personal joy in humiliating and scaring people.

r15, I think a lot of us were thinking this a long time ago. Does one have to be a mental health professional to see that deriving so much pleasure from others' discomfort (and fright) is not healthy?

Frankly, I don't have any idea of what sort of damage control she could deploy. Simply retiring for 5 years or so might be her safest bet, if she wants to continue her career.

[quote]Public trip to rehab, creation of a new public "niceness" initiative followed by marriage vow renewal after Portia renegotiates the prenup.

PLUS revelations about childhood abuse/NYTimes bestselling autobiog.

Why can’t she just retire? She’s in her early 60’s and has more money then she’ll ever know what to do with.

R15 I don’t think ‘interestingly’ means what you think it means.

R45 I’m not surprised you don’t have any idea. Your entire comment is vague statement on top of speculation on top of non sequitur (with a question mark?) on top of redundancy on top of vague statement to the point where (despite it sounding otherwise) you’ve really said absolutely nothing at all.

I'd love to know the FULL Ellen & Anne story.

I guess some o you gurls were on DL back then. OMG. Imagine the threads! Part 1, Part 2, Part 3....Interesting that Ellen was into being more femme then.

I guess with whatshername, her new gurl, there's a different dynamic, hence the v. male appearance.

More femme, perhaps. but Ellen never gave very convincing "full-on femme."

I remember her on some unsuccessful sitcoms before ELLEN, playing a straight gal.

Ahem.

They are already talking about James Corden replacing Ellen.

Ellen should step away and do nothing for two years.

Portia should go on RHOBH, with occasional shots of Ellen drunk yelling at the gardeners.

I'd actually watch a RH show if it were that one, r53.

Who wouldn't, R54?

James Corden is reportedly a dick, too

I've heard that too R56.

James taking over will be a disaster, because then HIS dirty laundry will leak and it'll make things even worse.

I’d like to see a View-like talk show featuring an ensemble of raging lesbians. They could do a set design that resembles a backyard deck.

I used to watch lesbian fights on YouTube. This was YEARS ago.

Can't find any anymore, sorry.