Portia de Rossi 'stands by' Ellen DeGeneres amid talk show scandal

US actress Portia de Rossi says she “stands by” wife Ellen DeGeneres amid claims of a “toxic” work environment and bullying on her talk show, the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

De Rossi on Monday took to Instagram to post a supportive message for the award-winning talk show host and thank fans for their support.

“To all our fans ... we see you. Thank you for your support. #stopbotattacks,” De Rossi told her 1.6 million fans on Monday evening.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show has won multiple Emmy awards but both the talk show and DeGeneres herself have been under fire in recent weeks because of complaints by former production staffers about a hostile workplace that included racism and bullying by upper management and claims that the comedienne is mean-spirited.

A Buzzfeed report revealed a slew of incidents experienced by current and former staff members — including one where a black employee was told “I’m sorry, I only know the names of the white people who work here” by one of the show's main writers.

Top producers Kevin Leman, Jonathan Norman and Ed Glavin were also implicated in sexual misconduct allegations.

Warner Bros Television, which produces the talk show, conducted an internal investigation and said last week that staffing changes and other measures were being taken to address the issue.

DeGeneres also e-mailed staff, expressing regrets about the gulf between the show's happy public face and what was sometimes happening backstage.

In the memo, DeGeneres apologised to staff members for the incidents and said she was “committed to ensuring this does not happen again”.

— Additional reporting by Reuters