Ellen DeGeneres' brand 'imploding' after employee claims, expert says

Ellen DeGeneres' reputation is under threat, according to an expert. Photo / Getty Images

Ellen DeGeneres' talk show has been put under the microscope this year, and an expert claims the host's brand is on a striking downward descent.

In May, damning claims surfaced from some talk show guests and those who had worked closely with the star. Kevin T Porter declared on Twitter that she was "the meanest person alive", and a bodyguard who had once protected DeGeneres labelled her "very cold".

An investigation published by Buzzfeed News included accounts from 10 former and one current employee who said the talk show's top-level producers fostered a "toxic" work environment.

According to an expert, the downfall of the 62-year-old's reputation may be something that her brand may not fully recover from, Fox News reports.

Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants told the publication the allegations against DeGeneres' persona and talk show are "celebrity brand suicide".

He says the way DeGeneres has handled the allegations gives fans a bad impression, arguing that there is no way she is unaware of the show's working environment.

Ellen DeGeneres' reputation is under threat, according to an expert. Photo / Getty Images

Schiffer told Fox News her silence about the show speaks volumes - the show's executives responded to the Buzzfeed News article with a statement that said "the day to day responsibility of the Ellen show is completely on us", and that they take the allegations seriously and are "committed to do better".

"She's [DeGeneres'] too important and she doesn't want to hurt her brand. Meanwhile, her brand is bleeding out in gushes across America," Schiffer says.

"A leader steps up and learns from it, and now we're learning that Ellen, who is considered to be squeaky clean in her persona - may be leading an organisation that has stone-cold crazy racism going on within it. It's horrifying to think about."

Schiffer believes, based on his own insight, that the future of DeGeneres' talk show is in doubt.

"Any advertiser that wants to align with the significant portion of the American public on issues related to race and treatment of employees will choose to protect their brand and place money in other shows versus 'Ellen' because of the wrath it could ensue upon the advertisers," he says.