Radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson have defended U.S. television presenter Ellen DeGeneres, whose daytime talk show is facing multiple allegations of bullying, racism and sexual harassment behind the scenes.
While they did not excuse the alleged misconduct of senior executives on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, they said that the 62-year-old host was being ‘unfairly targeted’ by some disgruntled former staffers.
On Thursday, the KIIS FM duo tore shreds off former producer Hedda Muskat, who alleges she was ’emotionally abused’ by DeGeneres while working on the first season of her program in 2003.
They both agreed that telling a bumbling staffer to ‘get to the point’ is normal in the fast-paced media industry.
‘When you’re dealing with big shows at the top of their game, you haven’t got time for p**s ants,’ Sandilands said, after watching footage of Muskat speaking out against DeGeneres on Sunrise on Wednesday.
Speaking out: Radio hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie ‘O’ Henderson have defended U.S. television presenter Ellen DeGeneres , whose daytime talk show is facing multiple allegations of bullying, racism and sexual harassment behind the scenes
Their view: While the KIIS FM duo did not excuse the alleged misconduct of senior executives on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, they said that the 62-year-old host (pictured) was being ‘unfairly targeted’ by some disgruntled former staffers
Muskat told Sunrise host David Koch that DeGeneres would often ‘snarl’ when she walked into her office to pitch segments for the show.
‘I always felt that I was never welcomed in her office, she always hurried me, “Like get to the point, get to the point,”‘ she said.
Reacting to these claims, Henderson said it was ‘actually quite impressive’ that DeGeneres would sit and listen to her producers’ pitches in person, adding that Sandilands would ‘never’ do that.
She continued: ‘I think Ellen is being unfairly targeted. When people say those things out loud, it sounds bad – like, “Oh, she said get to the point…” But f**k you, get to the point! She’s a busy woman.’
Hitting back: Sandilands and Henderson tore shreds off ex-producer Hedda Muskat (right), who alleges she was ’emotionally abused’ by DeGeneres while working on the first season of her program in 2003. Muskat is pictured with David Koch (left) on Sunrise on Wednesday
Claims: Muskat (pictured) said on Sunrise on Wednesday that DeGeneres would often ‘snarl’ when she walked into her office to pitch segments. ‘I always felt that I was never welcomed in her office, she always hurried me, “Like get to the point, get to the point,”‘ she said
Sandilands replied: ‘It happens here, too. Sometimes [producers] come in with the best intentions and they’re not dumb, they just don’t know how to get to the point quick.’
Ms Muskat had also claimed on Sunrise that Ed Glavin, one of the executive producers of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, became DeGeneres’ ‘dog’ and would ‘go off on people’, adding: ‘Ellen would laugh and say every production needs their dog.’
Sandilands appeared to side with Ellen on this matter, saying that ever major media operation needs an enforcer to keep staff in line.
‘Every production does need its “dog”. You can’t all be sitting around holding hands and patting each other on the back. It’s a daily live TV broadcast. It’s serious business,’ he said.
‘Sometimes [executive producers] do need to be the bad guy,’ Henderson agreed.
Straight-talkers: They both agreed that telling a bumbling staffer to ‘get to the point’ is normal in the fast-paced media industry, and not as bad as Muskat made it out to be
‘I don’t think Ellen disliked this producer, I just think some people aren’t great at pitching ideas,’ she added.
Sandilands responded: ‘You can’t just pander to the soft. When you’re dealing with big shows at the top of their game, you haven’t got time for p**s ants.’
He suggested there was ‘more to the story’ of Muskat’s departure from The Ellen DeGeneres Show besides simply being ‘bullied’ by DeGeneres and Glavin.
The Sydney radio hosts suggested that Muskat should pitch them a segment idea in order to test her abilities as a producer.
The Kyle and Jackie O show airs from 6am weekdays on KIIS 106.5 in Sydney
‘I don’t think Ellen (pictured) disliked this producer’: The Australian hosts claimed that Ms Muskat likely had a ‘gripe’ with the show’s executive producer Ed Glavin.