Dozens of former Ellen DeGeneres Show staffers have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct.

Less than 24 hours after Ellen DeGeneres broke her silence on the ongoing accusations against her and the alleged “toxic” workplace environment of her talk show, BuzzFeed News published an article indicating myriad claims of sexual misconduct and harassment from Ellen Show executive producers.

Per BuzzFeed’s report, “dozens of men and women who work behind the scenes, the office is a place where sexual harassment and misconduct by top executive producers runs rampant.”

The article presents a string of allegations against head writer and executive producer Kevin Leman, who is accused of soliciting oral sex from a male staffer in a bathroom during a company party in 2013, and groping a male production assistant’s genitals on a separate occasion. A female staffer also claims she saw Leman “grope a production assistant in a car and kiss his neck” in May 2017.

Over a dozen employees cite Leman’s alleged improper behavior on set, claiming he would mask his sense of humor with “sexually explicit comments in the office, like pointing out male colleagues’ bulges in their crotches, or ask them questions like, ‘Are you a top or a bottom?’”

Leman has “categorically denied ‘any kind of sexual impropriety,’” stating, “I’m horrified that some of my attempts at humor may have caused offense. … I have always aimed to treat everyone on the staff with kindness, inclusivity and respect.”

In total, BuzzFeed News spoke to “36 former employees, many of whom independently corroborated incidents of harassment, sexual misconduct, and assault from top producers like Leman.” (All alleged victims asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation.)

These are the latest claims concerning DeGeneres’ talk show, which is currently under an internal investigation by WarnerMedia following various complaints concerning the show’s workplace environment.

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Lisa St. Regis

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