Ellen DeGeneres tried to get a server suspended for having chipped nail polish, the former waitress claims.
Chris Farah, now a comedian and actress, said she was working as a server at Los Angeles vegan restaurant Real Food Daily in 2014 when she waited on Ellen and her wife at brunch.
Farah, 35, said the meal went off without a hitch. But one week later, the chat show star emailed the restaurant owner complaining that Farah's nail polish was chipped, resulting in her bosses trying to suspend her for two weeks, the actress claimed.
‘She really went out of her way to try to hurt someone who was beneath her and serving her,’ Farah told DailyMail.com.
‘You’re going to try to take money away from me for two weeks because you don’t like the way my nails looked? It’s sh***y.
'It’s not anything akin to her image of ''be kind''. It’s unnecessarily cruel and out of touch, and doesn’t understand the repercussions. It’s a crazy thing to do.’
Ellen DeGeneres tried to get former server Chris Farah (pictured) suspended for having chipped nail polish, the former waitress claims. Farah, now a comedian and actress, said she was working as a server at Los Angeles vegan restaurant Real Food Daily in 2014 when she waited on Ellen and her partner at brunch
Farah, 35, said the meal went off without a hitch. But one week later, the chat show star emailed the restaurant owner complaining that Farah's nail polish was chipped, resulting in her bosses trying to suspend her for two weeks, the actress claimed
Farah is one of many who joined a deluge of criticism for the multi-millionaire comedian after dozens of staff on The Ellen DeGeneres Show claimed that racism, bullying and sexual harassment was rife at its Hollywood studio.
The scandal prompted DeGeneres to email an apology to her staff – which some of them have labelled as ‘complete bull’, claiming she was ‘power-hungry’ and part of the ‘toxic’ environment on set.
Farah told DailyMail.com that at first she believed the 2014 brunch she served DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi went well, but was stunned when she got scathing feedback.
‘First of all I thought her demeanor was a little weird. It was like she was taken aback by me in some way,’ the comedian said.
‘I just remember her being like ''What’s Christina Applegate having?'' She was also in my section. She ordered that. Everything went down the way it should, and I’m really nice and warm, I was a really lovely server.
‘A week later my managers were like ''Chris did you happen to serve Ellen when she came in a week ago?''
'I 100 percent thought it was a good thing. She was friends with the owner, and in my mind I was like ''oh this is going to be a really good thing for me. She wants me to come on her show and serve mini cashew cheeses to the audience in some adorable way.''
‘My bosses looked at each other and kind of smirked. They said ''she emailed Anne [the owner] and complained about your chipped nail polish''. I was like ''what?''
‘It had chipped the night before and I didn’t have time to get a fresh manicure after I closed the restaurant at 11pm and reopened at 8.30am the next morning.
‘I probably shouldn’t have had chipped nail polish. But it wasn’t on her food or plate.’
Farah told DailyMail.com that at first she believed the 2014 brunch she served DeGeneres and her wife Portia went well, but was stunned when she got scathing feedback. Pictured: Ellen and Portia in 2014
Farah said her managers tried to suspend her for two weeks over DeGeneres’ complaint, but she had already told them she was quitting to pursue her stand-up career. Pictured: The outside of the vegan restaurant where Farah was working when the alleged incident occurred
Farah said her managers tried to suspend her for two weeks over DeGeneres’ complaint, but she had already told them she was quitting to pursue her stand-up career.
The 35-year-old told DailyMail.com she was astounded a fellow female comedian would allegedly try to abuse her power in a ‘sadistic’ way.
‘She’s obviously a very rich, famous, television person. She has to assume the person serving her is not as rich or famous as her – and most of us are struggling artists,' Farah said.
'I’m a younger, female person of color, I’m Lebanese-Syrian and she knows the power she has over this particular restaurant and owner because she has a relationship with them.’
Some celebrities have come to DeGeneres’ defense amid the onslaught of criticisms and allegations, including music manager Scooter Braun who tweeted ‘@TheEllenShow is a kind, thoughtful, courageous human being who stands for what is right and highlights on her show the best of us.’
But Farah said the chat show star should be judged on how she treats those with little power, not her famous peers.
‘Some celebrities have come out on her side but yeah she probably wasn’t mean to you because you’re a freakin’ privileged celebrity,’ the actress said.
‘That’s not the point. The point is that she somewhat gets off on perpetrating misery on others.
‘There’s an underlying sadistic-ness to her sometimes, under the veil of this whole “be kind to others” thing.’
The 35-year-old told DailyMail.com she was astounded a fellow female comedian would allegedly try to abuse her power in a ‘sadistic’ way. She’s obviously a very rich, famous, television person. She has to assume the person serving her is not as rich or famous as her – and most of us are struggling artists,' Farah said
After allegations of a ‘toxic’ culture on her chat show set emerged, DeGeneres sent a memo to her staff, apologizing for the alleged misconduct on her watch, but accusing her colleagues of ‘misrepresenting who I am’
After allegations of a ‘toxic’ culture on her chat show set emerged, DeGeneres sent a memo to her staff, apologizing for the alleged misconduct on her watch, but accusing her colleagues of ‘misrepresenting who I am’.
‘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,’ she wrote.
‘Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case. And 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.
‘I’m also learning that people who work with me and for me are speaking on my behalf and misrepresenting who I am and that has to stop.
‘As someone who was judged and nearly lost everything for just being who I am, I truly understand and have deep compassion for those being looked at differently, or treated unfairly, not equal, or — worse — disregarded. To think that any one of you felt that way is awful to me.’
After DeGeneres sent the memo, two former members of staff told the Sun the 62-year-old host's 'apology and denial that she knew anything was going on' regarding misconduct was 'complete bull'.
The pair told the paper: 'For over a decade Ellen has treated her staff poorly, which is ironic because of her persona when she is on camera.’
The show's parent company WarnerMedia launched an investigation after the employees went public with their grievances.
Warner Bros., the studio that runs the show, has declined to comment on the sexual harassment allegations, citing an ongoing internal investigation.
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