Stephen ‘tWitch’ Speaks Out For the First Time About Ellen

tWitch spoke out about Ellen DeGeneres for the first time about allegations of toxicity in the workplace.

Stephen ‘tWtich’ Boss has been a longtime DJ on The Ellen Show. He addressed the allegations speaking to the US weekly. Although he did not address anything specifically, he said he still had a lot of ‘love’ for Ellen.

The dancer said he is not allowed to say much legally but he assured that there is love. The longtime host has been filming from home amid the pandemic and Boss has also been a part of that. He says he is of course anxious about going to the sets again.

Boss said he is going to miss this time with his wife, Allison Holker, and kids, Maddox and Zaia. His wife has another daughter, Weslie from her previous marriage. ‘All this time at home, being able to be with the kids and the family and all that, it’s just like you know the day when they’re like, ‘OK, everything’s done everybody go back to work,’ I think everybody’s going to have a little bit of separation anxiety,” he explained.

tWitch has been on The Ellen Show as the DJ since 2014. One of his predecessors, Tony Okungbowa, admitted he had faced the toxicity that has been reported. ‘I have been getting calls asking me about the Ellen Degeneres Show and I would like to address the time I spent there,’ he began.

He said he is grateful for the opportunity but he has faced the toxicity of the environment. Tony said he stands with his former colleagues in their quest for a healthier and more inclusive workplace. He had replaced former DJ on the show, Scott K, just a few weeks after the first season. Tony stayed through the third season before leaving to move forward in his acting career.

Boss is also an actor himself, starred in movies such as the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, Magic Mike XXL, and several of the Step Up movies.

He also recently served as a guest judge on NBC’s World of Dance alongside Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo and Derek Hough. 

Amid all the allegations about Ellen DeGeneres’s talk show and the host, many famous celebrities have come in support of Ellen. She issued an apology last week to her staff amid the claims of sexual misconduct behind the scenes. She acknowledged the claims against the show and herself.

After allegations of sexual misconduct in the workplace, Ellen addressed the claims in a letter to her staff. Although, Ellen was not accused of the misconduct and an investigation was also launched.

Ellen’s Heartfelt Message

Ellen wrote that on the first day of her show, she told everyone that the place will be of happiness and no one will ever raise their voice. She addressed the issue saying something changed and expressed her disappointment to learn that this was not happening. The talk show host goes on to apologize saying anyone who knows her knows it is not what she believes in.

Ellen added that she could not have the success without any of their contributions and that her name is on the show because of which she will take complete responsibility. She said, “Alongside Warner Bros., we immediately began an internal investigation and we are taking steps, together, to correct the issues.”

The host continued, “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.”

Her talk show is under investigation and they have found few gaps here and there which they regretted to inform. But, however, Ellen has gotten a ton of support from her friends on social media.

The support comes after the show faced a number of allegations against the workplace environment of The Ellen Show. Buzzfeed News published an article in July were former and current employees of Ellen spoke about the toxic workplace.

Ellen wrote a heartfelt letter to her team saying she could not have success if it wasn’t for the team. The talk show host also added that some people who work with her are speaking on her behalf and misrepresenting who she is. She says that has to stop and acknowledges the inequality.

“The Ellen DeGeneres Show is, and has always strived to be, a place that brings positivity to the world”

Ellen says that she understands people who are being looked differently because she has faced the same thing. She said,  “As someone who was judged and nearly lost everything for just being who I am. I truly understand and have deep compassion for those being looked at differently, or treated unfairly, not equal, or— worse—disregarded.”

The host said she feels awful for anybody who ever felt that way. A statement from Warner Bros. states they have interviewed a dozen people including the current and former employees. The company published a statement which read, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show is, and has always strived to be, a place that brings positivity to the world.”

“And though not all of the allegations were corroborated, we are disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation. It indicated some deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management.

They further added, “We have identified several staffing changes, along with appropriate measures to address the issues that have been raised. And are taking the first steps to implement them. Warner Bros. and Ellen DeGeneres are all committed to ensuring a workplace based on respect and inclusion. We are confident this course of action will lead us to the right way forward for the show.”

DeGeneres’ personal spokesperson confirmed to Today that The Ellen DeGeneres Show is scheduled to return September 9 after its summer hiatus.