A series of clips of embattled talk show host Ellen DeGeneres mocking Sofia Vergara's Colombian accent have been making the rounds on Twitter.
Vergara has been a regular guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for a number of years, but the 30-second edit highlights just how many times the talk show host has poked fun at her Colombian accent.
One of the clips appears to date back to 2010, when Vergara appeared on the show to discuss her sitcom, Modern Family. DeGeneres, whose show is currently under investigation, however, proceeded to grill the actor on her speech.
"I shouldn’t judge because I think it would be hard to learn new language entirely… but can you get rid of the accent?" DeGeneres asked. Vergara proceeded to laugh, saying that while she had at that point lived in the US for 16 years, she thought her accent was "getting worse".
Since then, DeGeneres has offered to teach the Colombian born actor "an English word of the day", and mocked the way she pronounces the word "gift". She has also commented that her "accent was getting better."
"Why does she think ridiculing someone's accent is funny? She should go learn a different language, then she will know how hard it is," wrote one Twitter user in response to the video.
Another corroborated: "So yes reminder that making fun of people who’s first language isn’t english is wrong and never okay!! its hurtful to be ridiculed like that & trust me that they are really trying their best [sic]."
Others defended the talk show host, citing that she is a comedian: "I have a thick accent and I don’t see this the way most people are looking at it. They are good friends, they have inside jokes and Sofia made her accent a staple of her image anyways, she exploits it and exaggerates it because it makes her $. Also, comedy [sic]."
The Ellen Show is due to start airing again on the 9th of September, marking the first batch of new episodes following allegations of a "toxic work environment" backstage.
WarnerMedia has since launched an internal investigation into the show in response to reports that employees reportedly faced racism, fear, and intimidation, as well as sexual misconduct and harassment from top executives.
Ratings for The Ellen DeGeneres Show have reportedly sunk to a new series low since the reports emerged, per The Wrap, drawing a 1.0 Live + Same Day household rating in the week ending July 26.
The ratings were down 9% from the prior week, and a considerable -29% from the same week last summer. However, it should be noted that ratings for syndicated talk shows are normally lower at this point in the year as they air summer reruns.
Last month, DeGeneres sent an emotional plea to her employees promising changes to the series, which has been in production since 2013.
"On day one of our show, I told everyone in our first meeting that ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ would be a place of happiness - no one would ever raise their voice, and everyone would be treated with respect,” she wrote in an email to staff on Thursday (30th July).
"Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. We all have to be more mindful about the way our words and actions affect others."
She added that she was glad her production team was “finally having conversations about fairness and justice”.
The statement continued that while "not all of the allegations were corroborated", WarnerBros was "disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation indicated some deficiencies related to the show’s day-to-day management".