By Lynn Elber, Television Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --Three producers of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" have exited amid allegations of a dysfunctional workplace that harbored misbehavior including sexual misconduct and racially insensitive remarks.
Executive producers Ed Glavin and Kevin Leman and co-executive producer Jonathan Norman have "parted ways" with the long-running daytime series, a spokesperson for producer Warner Bros. said in a statement Monday.
An internal company investigation of claims about the show was prompted by a BuzzFeed News report in July based on 36 interviews with ex-staffers, who complained about or said they witnessed improper and unfair treatment.
Most of the allegations were tied to executive producers and senior managers, including Glavin, Leman and Norman, BuzzFeed News said. The people making the claims against them were not identified.
A representative for Leman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Representatives for Glavin and Norman couldn't immediately be found.
In statements to BuzzFeed News after the July 30 story was published online, Leman denied "any kind of sexual impropriety" and Norman said he categorically denied the accusations.
DeGeneres informed staff of the shakeup Monday in a video conference call, according to Variety, which first reported the development. She said she found claims about the show's environment to be "heartbreaking," the trade publication said, citing unidentified sources.
The comedian and host had sent a memo to her staff after last month's BuzzFeed article, recalling her early promise of ensuring a workplace where "everyone would be treated with respect." Something changed, she said, "and for that, I am sorry."
The show debuted in 2003.
In a separate July statement, Warner Bros. said parent company WarnerMedia's investigation revealed what it called "some flaws in the show's daily management."
Although not all of the allegations were corroborated, the studio said it was "disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation indicated some deficiencies related to the show's day-to-day management."
No details were specified at the time, and Warner Bros. had no further comment Monday beyond confirming the producers' departures.
Sony reports healthy profits on strong sales of sensors and games
Sony's profit rose 69% in July-September from a year earlier on the back of strong sales of its image sensors, games, music and network services, the Japanese electronics and entertainment company said on Friday.
Quarterly profit was 338.5 billion yen ($2.2 billion), up from 200 billion yen in the year-earlier period, while consolidated quarterly sales edged up 3% year-on-year to 2.9 trillion yen ($19 billion).
Tokyo-based Sony's latest quarterly results were boosted by healthy demand around the world for image sensors used in mobile products.
Sales also held up in its video games division. During the latest quarter, 3.8 million PlayStation 5 game consoles were sold globally, compared with 4.9 million units sold the same period a year ago.
Demand remained strong for PS5 game software, according to Sony.
The top-selling music releases from Sony for the quarter included "SOS" by SZA, David Gilmour's "Luck and Strange" and Kenshi Yonezu's "Lost Corner."
One area where Sony's business suffered was its pictures division, including TV shows and movies, which was impacted by production delays caused by the strikes in Hollywood.
Among the recent hit films from Sony was "It Ends With Us," a romantic drama based on a novel.
Sony, which also makes digital cameras and TVs, maintained its 980-billion yen ($6.4 billion) profit forecast for the fiscal year through March 2025, up 1% from the previous fiscal year.
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