Questions are swirling about the future of The Ellen Degeneres Show on Channel Nine after the network replace the program with Desperate Housewives last week.
And the future isn’t looking bright, as one of Nine’s biggest stars, Sylvia Jeffreys, has now taken a public swipe at Ellen, accusing the talk show host of ‘bullying’ Mariah Carey in her newly-resurfaced interview with Mariah Carey from 2008.
The infamous interview made headlines on Monday, after Mariah, 50, told Vulture magazine that she felt ‘extremely uncomfortable’ when Ellen tried to force her to reveal she was pregnant.
In light of the revelations, Sylvia and her Today Extra co-host David Campbell reviewed the footage from the interview on Tuesday’s show.
‘Oh it’s awful, it’s ugly, ugly behaviour,’ Sylvia said, after watching the clip of Ellen coaxing Mariah into proving she wasn’t pregnant with then-husband, Nick Cannon. by making her drink champagne.
‘And if she was not in on the joke, which she says she is not, then Ellen really has some explaining to do on that one,’ she insisted.
‘The ugliest thing I’ve seen’: Channel Nine reporter Sylvia Jeffreys, 34, (right) has blasted Ellen Degeneres for ‘bullying’ Mariah Carey with pregnancy questions during their newly-resurfaced 2008 interview. Pictured with Today Extra co-host David Campbell (left)
‘Oh it’s awful, it’s ugly, ugly behaviour’: Sylvia was left unimpressed after watching the clip of Ellen (right) coaxing Mariah (left) into proving she wasn’t pregnant with then-husband Nick Cannon by making her drink champagne in an interview back in 2008
Sylvia, who is mother herself, continued: ‘You cannot put a woman in that position.’
‘That’s maybe the ugliest thing I’ve seen in this whole saga so far… that’s a clear case of bullying,’ she later added.
On Monday, Mariah told Vulture that she was in fact pregnant at the time, but wasn’t ready to announce the news.
Not a fan: Sylvia, who is mother herself, said: ‘You cannot put a woman in that position’
‘I was extremely uncomfortable with that moment is all I can say, and I really have had a hard time grappling with the aftermath,’ she said.
Sylvia’s comments raise questions about the future of Ellen on Nine.
Just last week, Channel Nine chose to stop airing the U.S. talk show pending an internal investigation by WarnerMedia into accusations of racism, bullying and sexual harassment behind the scenes.
‘I was extremely uncomfortable’: On Monday, Mariah told Vulture that she was, in fact, pregnant at the time but wasn’t ready to announce the news
The network is instead airing reruns of Desperate Housewives – which previously screened on Seven – during Ellen’s usual time slot between 12pm and 1pm.
‘We are resting Ellen repeats on Nine and have replaced with Desperate Housewives,’ a Nine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia on Monday.
While The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been pulled from Nine’s schedule for the foreseeable future, repeats will continue to air on multichannel 9Gem.
Cancelled: Channel Nine chose to stop airing the U.S. talk show last week pending an internal investigation by WarnerMedia into accusations of racism, bullying and sexual harassment behind the scenes
Discussions between Nine and Warner Bros. regarding broadcast rights for the upcoming season, which begins next month, are said to be ‘ongoing’.
Warner Bros. Television announced last month that three senior producers had been fired from Ellen’s show: Ed Glavin, one of the executive producers; Jonathan Norman, a co-executive producer; and Kevin Leman, the show’s head writer.
They were sacked as a result of the internal investigation into multiple allegations of a ‘toxic’ work culture behind the scenes of the popular daytime talk show.
Re-runs: The network has dropped Ellen for now and is instead airing reruns of Desperate Housewives weekdays from 12pm to 1pm. Pictured: Desperate Housewives stars (L-R) Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria and Felicity Huffman
Employees described a working environment rife with ‘racism, fear and intimidation’.
As well as 9Gem, the show will continue to screen locally on FOX Arena.
Nine has declined to comment in relation to this article.
Gone: Warner Bros. Television announced last month that three senior producers had been fired from Ellen’s show: Ed Glavin, one of the executive producers; Jonathan Norman, a co-executive producer; and Kevin Leman, the show’s head writer