American radio and television personality, Howard Stern, has told Ellen DeGeneres - who remains embroiled in a bullying scandal - to just be a "pr*ck" when her eponymous show returns in September.
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.
Now Stern has recommended that DeGeneres embrace the allegations, and shrug off her "Be Kind" mantra.
Speaking on his SiriusXM radio show on Monday (10th August), he said: "You know what I’d do if I was Ellen? I would change my whole image. ‘I’d go on the air and be a son of a b***h. ‘People would come on and [I would] go, “F**k you.” Just be a pr**k."
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".
