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    Ellen DeGeneres makes on-air apology, vows a “new chapter”

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    Ellen DeGeneres poses in the press room at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 5, 2020, in Beverly Hills, Calif. DeGeneres says she'll be ready to talk when her daytime show returns this month after a staff shake-up prompted by allegations of a toxic workplace. “I can’t wait to get back to work and back to our studio. And, yes, we’re gonna talk about it,” DeGeneres said in a statement announcing the show's Sept. 21, 2020, start of its 18th season. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

    By Mark Kennedy, Entertainment Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    Ellen DeGeneres used her opening monologue of the new season of her daytime talk show to addressed allegations of a toxic work environment, apologizing for things "that never should have happened." 

    "I know that I'm in a position of privilege and power and I realize that with that comes responsibility, and I take responsibility for what happens at my show," she said in a video posted Monday.

    "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" started its 18th season in Los Angeles with the host on stage for the first time in months after taping from DeGeneres's home during quarantine. There wasn't a studio audience but a virtual one, with faces beamed in on monitors put in the audience seats.

    "We have had a lot of conversations over the last few weeks about the show, our workplace, and what we want for the future," she said. "We have made the necessary changes and today we are starting a new chapter."

    Three of the show's producers exited over the summer amid allegations of a dysfunctional workplace that harbored misbehavior, including sexual misconduct and racially insensitive remarks. In her monologue, DeGeneres dryly joked that her summer was "super-terrific."

    An internal company investigation of work conditions 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. The people making the claims were not identified.

    "I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously, and I want to say I am so sorry to the people that were affected," DeGeneres said in her monologue.

    The comedian and host had sent a memo to her staff after the BuzzFeed report, 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."

    In a 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."

    Tags:Ellen DeGeneresThe Ellen DeGeneres ShowWarnerMedia



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

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