US talk show host Ellen Degeneres has haemorrhaged viewers since her programme was rocked by explosive allegations of workplace misconduct last year, The New York Times reported on Monday.
Ellen apologised on air last September when the 18th season of her show debuted.
Viewers watched the episode featuring her apology, then tuned out, according to the NYY’s report, which cited Nielsen data.
Since September, The Ellen Degeneres Show has lost over a million viewers, falling to an average of 1.5 million in the last six months, compared to 2.6 million in the same period last year.
That’s a decline of 43%, dropping her from the league of US daytime juggernauts like Dr Phil and Live: With Kelly And Ryan, which both average more than 2.5 million views.
Ellen’s ratings now sit closer to those of shows hosted by Kelly Clarkson, Maury Povich and Jerry Springer’s former security guard Steve Wilkos, the New York Times noted.
David McGuire of Telepictures – a subsidiary of the show’s producer, Warner Bros. – pushed back on the Times’ findings.
“‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ remains one of the top three highest-rated syndicated talk shows this season,” he said in a statement.
“While broadcast is down across the board and Covid has been challenging for production, we are looking forward to bringing back our live audiences and a 19th season filled with all of the hilarious and heartwarming moments that have made ‘Ellen’ one of the longest running and most successful talk shows in history.”
Ellen’s show centered around the host’s “be kind” branding, suffered a huge blow to its reputation over the accusations, first reported by BuzzFeed last July.
Multiple current and former staff members of the show said they faced racism, intimidation and a toxic work environment on set, and several also alleged they were sexually harassed by producers.
Warner Bros. conducted an investigation, and three top producers ― Ed Glavin, Kevin Leman and Jonathan Norman ― were fired by August.
A version of this article was previously featured on the US edition of HuffPost.