'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' guests allegedly not allowed to be funnier than the host

Dana Dimatteo who appeared on the television program in 2018 is the latest person to criticise it

A guest on the Ellen DeGeneres show during a recent interview revealed that everyone who appears on the show is warned not to be funnier than the host, reported The Independent. Dana Dimatteo who was featured on the show two years ago after flying from Chicago to Los Angeles, notes that her experience was quite different from what she had expected, in a bad way.

She pointed out that if audience members were selected to participate, they “were not allowed to be funnier or smarter than Ellen” as ”she is the star and the comedian – not us”. Dimatteo, who was selected to participate in the "Make it Rain" segment, wherein contestants are drenched in water in an attempt to win a cash prize, talked about how Ellen's positive attitude was there only when the cameras were rolling.

“During commercial breaks, Ellen would break out of her ‘kind’ character and sit moodily in silence on her couch, not acknowledging anyone,” the guest told was quoted as saying. Dimatteo is the latest person to criticise the show. For the past couple of weeks, the show's management has come under scrutiny for allegedly creating a toxic work environment for ht employees.

After a report was published earlier on that cited anecdotes of past employees, the show undergoing an internal investigation. Ellen last month sent an emotional message to the staff of her television talk show saying she was taking steps to improve the culture on set following accusations of a hostile working environment.

Warner Bros Television said in a statement that although “not all of the allegations were corroborated, we are disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation indicated some deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management.” It said several staffing changes and other measures were being implemented but did not give details.