One million fewer viewers are watching “Ellen” since host Ellen DeGeneres publicly apologized in September for the treatment of staff on the comedian’s daytime talk show, according to a New York Times analysis.
Ratings were initially high for the season opener on Sept. 21, when DeGeneres publicly apologized for the working environment behind the scenes of the popular broadcast on NBC.
But since then, the show has been averaging 1.5 million viewers, compared to 2.6 million last year, the Times reported, quoting statistics from ratings company Nielsen.
In addition, the newspaper noted that ratings fell 38 percent in a core demographic for the show — adult women under 54.
Ad revenue also dropped. Quoting research firm Kantar, the Times reported that DeGeneres’s show earned $131 million in ad revenue during the September to January of 2019-20 season, 20 percent more than the $105 million it brought in for the same period in this season.
Three of the show’s producers lost their jobs last August in the wake of an investigation into allegations of abuse and sexual harassment.