Ellen DeGeneres dines with Kevin Hart amid toxic workplace claims

Ellen DeGeneres has been spotted out in public with an A-list friend, amid the controversy surrounding her talk show.

According to New York Post's Page Six, DeGeneres was photographed dining with comedian Kevin Hart in Montecito, California.

It comes after Hart publically defended the talk show host, joining other celebrities Katy Perry and Diane Keaton in publically posting a message of support.

The photos published by the news outlet show Ellen with a glass of wine in hand, talking with Hart at a restaurant. She was wearing a navy blue button-up shirt and cargo pants.

Facing several accusations against her talk show and an internal investigation, Ellen caught up with a friend who came to her defence. Photo / Getty Images

He posted on Instagram earlier this month: "It's crazy to see my friend go thru what she's going thru publicly. I have known Ellen for years and I can honestly say that she's one of the dopest people on the f***** planet. She has treated my family and my team with love and respect from day 1. The internet has become a crazy world of negativity ... we are falling in love with peoples down fall. It's honestly sad ... When did we get here?

"I stand by the ones that I know and that I love," he added. "Looking forward to the future where we get back to loving one another….this hate s*** has to stop. Hopefully it goes out of style soon ... This post is not meant to disregard the feelings of others and their experiences ... It's simply to show what my experiences have been with my friend. Love you for life Ellen ..."

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It’s crazy to see my friend go thru what she’s going thru publicly. I have known Ellen for years and I can honestly say that she’s one of the dopest people on the fucking planet. She has treated my family and my team with love and respect from day 1. The internet has become a crazy world of negativity....we are falling in love with peoples down fall. It’s honestly sad...When did we get here? I stand by the ones that I know and that I love. Looking forward to the future where we get back to loving one another....this hate shit has to stop. Hopefully it goes out of style soon....This post is not meant to disregard the feelings of others and their experiences....It’s simply to show what my experiences have been with my friend. Love you for life Ellen...

A post shared by Kevin Hart (@kevinhart4real) on Aug 4, 2020 at 9:48am PDT

The Ellen Show is now also facing an internal company investigation by WarnerMedia after dozens of employees came forward in a new bombshell report, alleging sexual harassment and misconduct by some of the show's top executive producers.

In her apology letter, DeGeneres admitted she hadn't been "able to stay on top of everything" as her brand grew.

"My name is on the show and everything we do and I take responsibility for that," she wrote.

"Alongside Warner Bros, we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues. As we've grown exponentially, I've not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I'd want them done. Clearly some didn't. That will now change and I'm committed to ensuring this does not happen again."