Ellen DeGeneres — Time for a Crisis Management Lesson
From David E. Johnson, writing for CommPro:
Talk show host and comedian, Ellen DeGeneres is the latest celebrity that could be cancelled. Both she and the top management of her hit talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” are under an internal investigation by the show’s distributor, Warner Brothers. There are allegations of intimidation, sexual misconduct, and racism. DeGeneres attempted to stem some of the damage by issuing an apology to staff but also denying direct knowledge of the alleged misconduct and shifting the blame to senior staff. This brought forth allegations by previous guests on the show including actor, Brad Garrett, actress Lea Thompson, and Dutch beauty blogger Nikkie de Jager that the misconduct was common knowledge. The Ellen DeGeneres story offers some key lessons for celebrities and brands in terms of crisis management:
- Be authentic to your brand. Ellen DeGeneres long had the reputation among the public for being funny, kind, and compassionate. She was portrayed as a ‘woke’ celebrity before people talked about being ‘woke’. These allegations, particularly in this climate shattered that image and go against everything that people believed about her brand.
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