In an effort describe what parenting a toddler is like, comedian and actor John Mulaney compared the undertaking to the experience crew members allegedly had while working on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
“You know what having a 3-year-old is like?” Mulaney, a father of two children, asked his “Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney” viewers on Wednesday night’s show. “Having a 3-year-old is what I imagine working on Ellen DeGeneres’ show was like. Because people come over and they’re like, ‘How is it?’ And you’re, like, ‘Oh, it’s fine. You know, we have fun. There’s games.’”
He carried on with the joke: “We have dancing, you know. So if he starts dancing, you dance. But if he stops dancing, you f—king stop dancing right away.”
Mulaney, who shares a 3-year-old son and 7-month-old daughter with his wife, actress Olivia Munn, was poking fun at the toxic workplace allegations DeGeneres and her production were hit with back in 2020.
Several former employees accused the comedian and host of racism and creating a toxic environment. Ultimately, WarnerMedia launched an investigation into the claims, which included 10 former workers and one current “Ellen” staffer at the time detailing instances of the negative culture at DeGeneres’ hit daytime talk show. Some of the accusations included “microaggressions” toward an employee of color and occasions where individuals were fired for taking time off to attend funerals or due to medical problems.
In March 2021, following a summer hiatus, DeGeneres shared an apology for the toxicity employees experienced.
“I learned that things happen here that never should have happened,” DeGeneres said at the time. “I take that very seriously. And I want to say I’m so sorry to the people who were affected.” Those remarks came in the wake of reports of workplace misconduct at ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”
After a 19-season run, DeGeneres wrapped up her hit talk show on May 26, 2022.
“Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney” is currently streaming on Netflix.
