Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi targeted in LA home burglary

It’s been a rough year for Ellen DeGeneres.

Not only has the comedian has been hit with allegations of cruel behaviour behind the scenes, she was recently trending on Twitter as part of a cruel death hoax as whispers her talk show is facing the axe continue to swirl.

And in an added blow to the television personality: Earlier this month, she and wife Portia de Rossi were robbed.

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The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi’s Montecito home was burgled on July 4, the New York Post reported.

“High-value jewellery and watches” were reportedly among the items taken from the home, which deputies said was targeted because of its status as a known home to celebrities.

Forensic technicians and detectives are apparently working on the scene, with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office also telling local media outlet KEYT the burglary may be connected to other celebrity break-ins in the area.

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The Sheriff’s Office doesn’t specify which burglaries they’re attempting to connect the recent break-ins to, but in October 2018, ABC News reported that a string of celebrity homes in Los Angeles – including those of Alanis Morissette, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Emmy Rossum, Jaime Pressly, David Spade and Christina Milian – had been targeted by thieves.

It comes after a Beverly Hills real estate agent, Jason Emil Yaselli, was charged last year with a series of house thefts between 2016 and 2018 that targeted celebs including Usher, Adam Lambert and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills stars Paul and Dorit Kemsley.

DeGeneres, 62, the richest comedian in the world worth around $466 million, lost some of the shine on her image earlier this year, with former staffers flocking to a Twitter thread that branded her “one of the meanest people alive”.
 

ELLEN’S BRAND SUFFERING MAJORLY

As a result of the many shocking tales, Ellen DeGeneres’ empire is on a rapid descent into brand suicide, one brand management expert claimed in a recent interview.

The charitable and bubbly persona that DeGeneres exemplifies on her namesake talk show has been called into question in recent months as staffers continue to leak allegations of toxic workplace culture.

Most recently, a Buzzfeed report included allegations from one current and 10 former staff members claiming to be victims of bullying and racism.

One current employee claimed that top producers held an all-staff meeting over Zoom in May to address “low morale” at the company following Fox News’ interview with DeGeneres’ former bodyguard. The bodyguard backed up claims that she was “cold” and “demeaning” off-camera.

Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, weighed in on the latest allegations and what they mean for the host’s brand.

“Authenticity is king with celebrity brands and these continued leaks are lacerating her credibility and mangling her capacity to continue to try to be positioned at a high moral ground,” Schiffer told Fox News.

“It’s celebrity brand suicide,” he added, going on to describe the statement released by DeGeneres’ reps to the publication as “an example of DeGeneres not taking responsibility”.

The statement read in part: “For the record, the day to day responsibility of the Ellen show is completely on us. We take all of this very seriously and we realise, as many in the world are learning, that we need to do better, are committed to do better, and we will do better.”

ELLEN’S POPULARITY DIVE

Ellen’s decline in popularity can be traced back to an awkward interview with Fifty Shades Of Grey star Dakota Johnson in December last year.

Ellen again came under fire in April after making a “distasteful” quarantine joke while hosting her talk show from the comfort of her living room.

DeGeneres, who has a net worth of $US490 million ($A708 million), made a joke in her opening monologue saying quarantining with her wife Portia de Rossi was similar to incarceration, which upset many of her viewers.

“This is like being in jail is what it is,” DeGeneres joked. “Mostly because I’ve been wearing the same clothes for 10 days and everyone in here is gay!”

In March, Ellen was the subject of a viral Twitter thread that centred on the topic that she was the “meanest person alive”.

The thread encouraged people to share any personal stories they had to validate the theory, and, well, there were many.

Comedian Kevin T. Porter tweeted: “Right now we all need a little kindness. You know, like Ellen DeGeneres always talks about!

“She’s also notoriously one of the meanest people alive. Respond to this with the most insane stories you’ve heard about Ellen being mean & I’ll match every one w/ $2 to @LAFoodBank.”

There were more than 1000 replies to Porter’s tweet, with people detailing their not-so-nice experiences with the comedian.

NASTY SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

Earlier this month, just days after her home was reportedly broken into, millions of Ellen DeGeneres fans were alarmed after spotting a grim #RIPEllen hashtag on social media, sparking fears the veteran TV host had mysteriously died.

The tweets were reportedly in reference to rumours that her longtime show is being axed, which spawned a viral death hoax.

The rumours about The Ellen DeGeneres Show surfaced amid declining ratings and the storm of negative press that has haunted the host for the past few months.

But according to producers, the program isn’t going anywhere.

A rep for Ellen’s production company commented on the rumours to the New York Post and said: “Telepictures can confirm it’s untrue.”