Kevin Hart Grabs Lunch With Ellen DeGeneres After Defending Her Against "Toxic" Work Allegations

Kevin Hart and Ellen DeGeneres met up for lunch at the Rosewood Miramar Hotel in Montecito, Calif. on Saturday, Aug. 15. News of their hangout comes after the actor defended the talk show host.

By Alyssa Morin Aug 16, 2020 5:40 PMTags
Ellen DeGeneres, Kevin HartP&P / MEGA

Ellen DeGeneres and Kevin Hart are catching up.

The pals were spotted having lunch and enjoying a glass of wine at the Rosewood Miramar Beach in Montecito, Calif. on Saturday, Aug. 15.

Both Kevin and Ellen kept a low-profile and dressed casually for their hangout. The Night School alum donned a baby blue printed button-down shirt and matching shorts, while the talk show host wore a blue-patterned shirt and khaki pants. 

News of their meet-up comes nearly two weeks after the actor defended Ellen following allegations about her eponymous show.

"It's crazy to see my friend go thru what she's going thru publicly," Kevin's message began on social media. "I have known Ellen for years and I can honestly say that she's one of the dopest people on the f--king planet. She has treated my family and my team with love and respect from day 1."

"The internet has become a crazy world of negativity....we are falling in love with peoples down fall. It's honestly sad...When did we get here? I stand by the ones that I know and that I love," he continued.

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"Looking forward to the future where we get back to loving one another....this hate s--t has to stop. Hopefully it goes out of style soon....," he closed. "This post is not meant to disregard the feelings of others and their experiences....It's simply to show what my experiences have been with my friend. Love you for life Ellen..."

In mid-July, one current and 10 former Ellen DeGeneres Show employees accused the talk show host of having a "toxic" work environment.

In an article published on Buzzfeed News on July 16, several people came forward to share their experiences on set. However, those who spoke out remained anonymous out of fear of retribution.

Some claimed that they had been fired after taking medical leave or bereavement days, while others said they faced microaggressions and were subjected to favoritism by executive producers. Although there weren't any accusations made against Ellen specifically, one person explained what the work atmosphere was like.

"People focus on rumors about how Ellen is mean and everything like that, but that's not the problem," one former employee claimed. "The issue is these three executive producers running the show who are in charge of all these people [and] who make the culture and are putting out this feeling of bullying and being mean. They feel that everybody who works at The Ellen Show is lucky to work there: ‘So if you have a problem, you should leave because we'll hire someone else because everybody wants to work here.'"

Two weeks after Buzzfeed News published its piece, Ellen broke her silence and sent a letter to her staff.

"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. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case," she wrote, per a copy of the letter obtained by E! News.

"For that, I am sorry. Anyone who knows me knows it's the opposite of what I believe and what I hoped for our show," she continued, adding, "As we've grown exponentially, I've not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I'd want them done. Clearly some didn't. That will now change and I'm committed to ensuring this does not happen again."

Watch: "tWitch" Speaks Out On His "Ellen" Experience

In a statement to E! News, Warner Bros. explained that they were addressing the accusations of workplace misconduct, and have been conducting interviews with current and former employees.

"It was important to both Warner Bros. and Ellen that as many people as possible attached to the program could be heard. The Ellen DeGeneres Show is, and has always strived to be, a place that brings positivity to the world," the statement read in part. "And though not all of the allegations were corroborated, we are disappointed that the primary findings of the investigation indicated some deficiencies related to the show's day-to-day management. We have identified several staffing changes, along with appropriate measures to address the issues that have been raised, and are taking the first steps to implement them."

"We are confident this course of action will lead us to the right way forward for the show," the statement concluded.