Impact of celebrity scandals
Society has grown accustomed to viewing celebrities as role models. The advancement in technology has increased the ease in which people can access different celebrities and this has led to the need for such individuals to lead ethical lives that live up to the moral codes set up by society. Other members of the community rely on the reputation that celebrities build throughout their professional and personal lives to assess their character and determine whether they are ideal role models. A celebrity’s image, therefore, hinges on their ability to live per the ethical standards or risk losing the reputation and benefits that are associated with their celebrity status. Despite this, however, there are occurrences where celebrities are involved in scandals that not only threaten their reputation but could also destroy their careers. Take the case of Ellen DeGeneres as an example. Despite building the reputation of being a friendly, generous, and respectable talk show host, reports that employees were forced to work in a toxic working environment have negatively affected the friendly image that her viewers associated with the show.
In 2020, accusations were made against Ellen DeGeneres show with claims that employees were forced to work in toxic conditions that made it difficult for them to perform their duties (Parker 1). Ellen was also accused of engaging in unethical misconduct like bullying and underpayment. Although the allegations made involved employees working for Ellen, the consequences of the scandal extended to the viewers and stakeholders invested in the talk show. Ellen faced a lot of scrutiny for the allegations made especially because people had tied her image and reputation to the show. Although activities from different departments contributed to the claims that employees were forced to work in a toxic environment, Ellen is a celebrity and the audience expected the show to maintain the same ethical standards upheld by Ellen (Parker 1). Her presence in society’s limelight made her the show’s moral compass and any reputation, whether positive or negative, was attributed to Ellen.
The scandal brought to light issues related to sexual misconduct, racism, and exploitation of employees in the workplace. As a celebrity, it was Ellen’s responsibility to ensure that her employees worked in an ideal environment free from any form of discrimination (Whitla & Zhou 3). Her position in society required her to uphold the morals and ethics that governed the community and society in general. The revelation that employees were mistreated and not fairly compensated for their work revealed that Ellen was not as committed to the well-being of her employees as she made it seem on her shows. The reports of a toxic working environment led people to question Ellen’s moral values as she was associated with the mistreatment claims made by the employees.
It also raised the issue of how people use unethical means to rise to fame and continue to maintain a false public image. While the toxic environment was a result of working in the show and not directly for Ellen, she was the only figure associated with the show and people attributed the mistreatment to her negligence (Chang 2). Also, the issue of racism was revealed by the scandal through claims made concerning racial discrimination and sexual harassment. An internal investigation was launched and this led to the ousting of Ed Galvin, Jonathan Norman, and Kevin Leman (Parker 1). Although some misconduct was perpetrated by other employees, the blame was shifted to Ellen as she was the image that people associated with the show.
Before the scandal, Ellen was regarded as a symbol of triumph in the fight for equality in the workplace. She was considered one of the successful businesswomen, a role model, and an effective leader. Her show had captured the hearts of its viewers through her easygoing nature (Newman 1). After the scandal, however, people started to question her work ethics with some even attributing her success to the exploitation of employees. Her tendency to give gifts and other benefits to her viewers and those attending her show made the exploitation of employees appear even worse as people had grown accustomed to her generosity when giving.
After the scandal, Ellen still represents successful women in business and is still seen, by some, as a role model. This is greatly attributed to the fact that the toxic working environment and mistreatment of employees involved others in the top management and the show in general. Although some of the misconduct was directly attributed to how Ellen treated her employees, her position as a celebrity made it easier for people to take a lenient view on the issue (Newman 1). Despite this, however, the scandal created a different image where Ellen is associated with other celebrities whose rise to fame involved exploiting other employees. Issues relating to racism for example have been common among influential celebrities. The scandal tainted Ellen’s reputation as some of her viewers still blame her for the toxic work environment that employees had to work in to make the show possible.
The scandal disrupted the ideology that women make better leaders than men and are more likely to create a better working environment. Over the years, women have fought to establish equality in the workplace. This led to the development of the ideology that women are more likely to create better working environments as they understand the challenges of working in a male-dominated industry. Concerning Ellen, a significant number of her shows focused on vices in society such as racism and discrimination in the workplace (Parker 1). People looked up to her as an example of the ideal leaders and successful women in her field. After the scandal, however, a significant number of viewers started to regard Ellen as one of the exploitative women in business that maintain a positive public image but are part of the reason why equality in the workplace is hard to achieve.
The scandal stood out for me because it revealed the impact that celebrities have on the values and perceptions that people hold in society. The platform that Ellen served required her to uphold good morals not only in her show but also outside the limelight. The affection and respect that people had for Ellen were not just as a result of the success she made as a public figure and career woman but also through the values she upheld. It also revealed the high standards that celebrities have to uphold to maintain their social status. Despite various attempts to convince the audience that the issues resulting in the toxic working environment had been resolved, the show failed to do well after the scandal (Parker 1). The show’s ratings dropped significantly and viewers had a hard time disassociating Ellen’s success to the issues raised by the scandal.
Celebrities play an important role in society as they serve as a point of reference for the general public. Their position in society makes it easier to address issues that exist in society as well as serving as examples. Despite this, however, attaching an ideology to a celebrity runs the risk that any success made can be undone if the celebrity goes against the ideals the ideology sought to uphold. It is therefore important to differentiate ideologies from their advocates to ensure that any progress made can be sustained regardless of any scandals that the celebrity may be involved in.
References
Chang, Joseph, “The impacts of moral character in celebrity endorsement” Journal of Hotel and Business Management, 2017, retrieved from, https://www.longdom.org/open-access/the-impacts-of-moral-character-in- celebrity-endorsement-2169-0286-1000163.pdf
Newman, Caroline “Q&A: How celebrity activists are changing morality in America” UVA Today, 2019, retrieved from, https://news.virginia.edu/content/qa-how- celebrity-activists-are-changing-morality-america
Parker, Joy. “The year that was: The biggest celebrity scandals and upsets of 2020” Grazia, retrieevd from, https://graziamagazine.com/us/articles/celebrity- scandals-upsets-2020/
Whitla, Paul and Zhou, Lianxi, “How negative celebrity publicity influences consumer attitudes: The mediating role of moral reputation” Journal of Business Research, 2011, DOI:10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.12.025
