When the Mask Slips: The Case of James Corden and Ellen

2023-04-27

As James Corden says goodbye to the Late Late Show, we take a look at the recent spate of controversies he’s found himself in. From the Balthazar restaurant incident to accusations of obnoxious and demeaning behaviour, we look behind his ‘cheeky chappy’ public persona to the avalanche of comments online. Similarly, Ellen, who built her brand on kindness, faced accusations of creating a toxic work environment and being the “meanest person alive”, leading to her daytime talk show being cancelled. So is it a case that their nice “masks” have slipped? Or are they simply casualties of society's unforgiving standards of scrutiny and 24/7 call-out culture? And can they come back from these scandals?

Similarly, Ellen, who built her brand on kindness, faced accusations of creating a toxic work environment and being the “meanest person alive”, leading to her daytime talk show being cancelled. So is it a case that their nice “masks” have slipped? Or are they simply casualties of society's unforgiving standards of scrutiny and 24/7 call-out culture? And can they come back from these scandals?

Episode transcript here.

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This series is produced by Emily Crosby Media.

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