Ellen DeGeneres Claims Allegations Against Her Were ‘Orchestrated’ and ‘Misogynistic’: ‘It Was Too Coordinated’

In her first interview since announcing the end of her talk show, Ellen DeGeneres addressed the allegations against her, labeling them as “misogynistic” and claiming they were “orchestrated.”

DeGeneres sat down with Savannah Guthrie for a taped interview that aired Thursday morning, during which the Today Show host asked about claims of a toxic workplace environment.

“Did you feel like you were being canceled?” Guthrie asked of the negative press cycle following the allegations.

“I felt like somebody had some kind of, you know? I mean, I really didn’t understand it, I still don’t understand it,” DeGeneres said. “Yeah, I thought I thought something was going on that that, because it was too orchestrated, it was too coordinated.”

Despite alleging that the backlash was orchestrated, DeGeneres had previously taken responsibility for the allegations following an internal investigation, which found “deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management. The host also explained in her original apology that she was unaware of the culture and claimed producers misrepresented her while speaking on her behalf.

DeGeneres doubled down on the fact that she was unaware of the toxicity on set while speaking to Guthrie, insisting, “I don’t know how I could have known when there’s 255 employees here and there are a lot of different buildings, unless I literally stay here until the last person goes home at night”

“And, you know, people get picked on but for four months straight for me, and then for me to read in the press about a toxic work environment, when, when all I’ve ever heard from every guest that comes on the show is what a happy atmosphere this is, and how, what a happy place it is,” she added.

DeGeneres later attributed the backlash she faced to misogyny, also explaining that she decided to return to her show following the allegations because she took the time to work on herself.

“How can I be an example of strength and perseverance and power if I give up and run away?” she said. “And so, it really is one of the reasons I came back. I worked really hard on myself. And also, I have to say if nobody else is saying it, it was really interesting because I’m a woman, and it did feel very misogynistic.”

Watch above, via NBC.