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Sunrise host Nat Barr shocked after Ellen producer’s 'scathing' tirade
Sunrise hosts Nat Barr and David Koch have been left gobsmacked after interviewing a former producer from The Ellen Show during Thursday morning's breakfast show.
TV producer Hedda Muskat appeared on the program to talk about Ellen DeGeneres making the shock announcement she would be calling it quits on her famous talk show in 2022.
Hedda, who has won two Emmys, made some "pretty scathing" remarks about her former boss, with Nat remarking at the end of the segment: “She was not holding back … She went for it then."
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Wednesday, 63-year-old Ellen revealed the Ellen DeGeneres Show, will end after the 19th season, noting that "it's time" for her to move on.
But Hedda Muskat said it was in fact the viewers who had "fired her".
“The viewers have spoken. Her ratings have been in the toilet for a long time now. Her show has not been fun, it has not been interesting, and she’s not really ‘stepping down’ - the viewers fired her," she told the hosts.
Hedda said she was one of the show’s first hires for its debut season in 2003 and was responsible for booking Ellen's non-celebrity 'human interest' guests. Interviews she claimed Ellen "despised".
Both Nat and David were shocked by the remarks, asking Hedda what she thought Ellen would do next.
"Ellen has said this is NOT the end of her TV career....what do you think will happen to her now?" Nat asked.
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“I’d like to see her work on a farm where she can relate with all of the animals and the pets and the dogs and the cows and the pigs because if you can relate to animals far more than she does with people,” was Hedda's brutal response.
“As much as I loved my job as a booker and producer, I was almost relieved when I got fired... I wanted to take a shower, it was like whole new dawn. I don’t feel like she has the trust anymore of the viewers, and so I don’t think she is going to come back anytime soon.”
Ellen's decision to end the show came amid slumping ratings following allegations by former and current staffers that The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been a toxic place to work.
Though the Emmy award winner insisted her decision to bring the curtain down had nothing to do with allegations against the show in the past year.
“When you’re a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged. And as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it’s just not a challenge anymore,” Ellen told the Hollywood Reporter.
Sunrises viewers were equally shocked by the scathing interview with some defending Ellen.
"Sounds like a disgruntled employee who didn’t get what she wanted is having a tantrum," one person said on Twitter.
Others however said they were happy to see the end of the long-running show.
"The show is outdated and longer relevant, also she was doomed once we found out she was a bully," was one comment.
Ellen is expected to make a public announcement on Thursday's show with guest and daytime-TV predecessor Oprah Winfrey.
Since September the show's ratings have plummeted by more than one-half compared to last season, to 1.2 million viewers per show.
Ellen was co-producer of her show and last year earned an estimated 84 million dollars, largely thanks to that program. That made her the 12th highest-paid celebrity in the world, according to Forbes magazine.
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