‘Ellen’ Ratings Hit All-Time Low Last Month Amid Reports of Toxic Workplace Culture
Daytime talk show’s ratings slid to a 1.0 in the week after Buzzfeed published the first of two stories featuring multiple staffers speaking out
Tony Maglio and Reid Nakamura | August 4, 2020 @ 12:44 PM
Last Updated: August 5, 2020 @ 5:36 AM
Warner Bros.
Ratings for Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime talk show sunk to a new series low last month following a bombshell Buzzfeed News report about the toxic work environment behind the scenes.
“Ellen” reruns drew a 1.0 Live + Same Day household rating in the week ended July 26, 2020, according to Nielsen. That was down 9% from the prior week and a glaring -29% from the same week last summer.
That 29% decline compares with a -27% drop in the prior week (vs. the comparable week in 2019), which was the same week in which Buzzfeed published its first story about “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
The 1.0 rating tied “Ellen” with “Steve Wilkos.” Wilkos, the “Jerry Springer Show’s” former omnipresent security guard, saw his self-named talk show rise 11% in the week ending July 26.
It is worth pointing out here that ratings in general for the syndicated talk shows are currently low as they air summer repeats. Other talk shows with declines similar to Ellen’s are “Dr. Oz” (-33%), “The Real” (-20%) and “The Doctors” (-20%).
“Dr. Phil” was again the winner, with a 1.8 rating. “Live With Kelly and Ryan” drew a 1.6 and “Maury” had a 1.1. All of these were steady with the previous week, and each topped “Ellen.”
The last time Maury Povich’s talk show topped DeGeneres was in 2016, when Ellen’s rating were removed from consideration due to the Rio Summer Olympics. Wilkos has never tied “Ellen” — at least not within recent memory.
Beyond the talk genre, courtroom shows “Judge Judy” (a 5.7) and “Hot Bench” (a 2.1) easily dominated the rest of daytime syndication.
In the Buzzfeed story, 10 former employees and one current “Ellen” staffer detailed instances of the negative culture at Ellen DeGeneres’ show, including “microaggressions” toward an employee of color and occasions where individuals were fired for taking time off to attend funerals or due to medical problems. A follow-up report on July 30 cited 36 additional anonymous sources and detailed allegations of sexual misconduct by three of the show’s producers.
18 New Summer TV Shows Ranked by Premiere Viewers, From 'Tough as Nails' to 'United We Fall' (Photos)
With all due respect to "America's Got Talent," summer is not exactly the time when Nielsen ratings threaten to fall off the charts -- at least, not the top of the charts. And when it comes to new series, a summer slot isn't generally a vote of confidence from the network.
Due to coronavirus-forced production shutdowns, Summer 2020 has been an especially soft season. Click through our gallery to see how 18 freshman broadcast television shows -- some acquisitions -- fared in total viewers for their premieres this summer.
Rank: 9 Show: "Celebrity Watch Party" Net: Fox Total Viewers: 1.785 million
Fox
Rank: 8 Show: "The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons - Ever!" Net: ABC Total Viewers: 2.412 million
ABC
Rank: 7 Show: "Cannonball"* Net: NBC Total Viewers: 2.655
*Network debut of USA Network series
NBC
Rank: 6 Show: "The Genetic Detective" Net: ABC Total Viewers: 3.264 million
ABC
Rank: 5 Show: "Tough as Nails" Net: CBS Total Viewers: 4.096 million
CBS
Rank: 4 Show: "Don't" Net: ABC Total Viewers: 4.178 million
ABC
Rank: 3 Show: "United We Fall" Net: ABC Total Viewers: 4.235 million
ABC
Rank: 2 Show: "Ultimate Tag" Net: Fox Total Viewers: 4.351 million
Fox
Rank: 1 Show: "Game On!" Net: CBS Total Viewers: 4.437 million
CBS
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Nielsen sheets cooled off as the months warmed up
With all due respect to "America's Got Talent," summer is not exactly the time when Nielsen ratings threaten to fall off the charts -- at least, not the top of the charts. And when it comes to new series, a summer slot isn't generally a vote of confidence from the network.
Due to coronavirus-forced production shutdowns, Summer 2020 has been an especially soft season. Click through our gallery to see how 18 freshman broadcast television shows -- some acquisitions -- fared in total viewers for their premieres this summer.