Ellen DeGeneres regarded carefree in Florence this week, noticed arm-in-arm along with her spouse, Portia de Rossi, throughout a romantic stroll by the Ponte Vecchio. The previous daytime speak present host flashed a large grin as she wrapped an affectionate arm round Portia whereas vacationing in Tuscany. The Italian trip doubled as one in every of Ellen DeGeneres’ uncommon public outings, with the previous speak present host displaying no indicators of stress over her newest authorized troubles.

Following the turbulent finish of “The Ellen DeGeneres Present” in 2022, Ellen and Portia stepped out of the Hollywood highlight. They bought off their string of high-profile Montecito estates and relocated to the Cotswolds in England final yr, shortly after Donald Trump’s return to the White Home.

The transfer gave them distance from the controversies surrounding Ellen’s daytime empire, which ended amid allegations of a “poisonous” work surroundings behind the scenes. Since then, Ellen has largely retreated from the general public eye, surfacing solely often with Portia by her aspect.

However at the same time as Ellen loved a carefree Italian trip overseas this week, which was captured in images obtained by The Each day Mail, authorized troubles adopted her identify again house. As The Blast reported, Ellen is being sued for negligence by a lady who claims the star triggered a automotive accident in Santa Barbara County in December 2023.

The plaintiff alleges that Ellen ran a cease signal whereas driving her Tesla and “t-boned” her car within the intersection. In her submitting, the girl insists she had come to a full cease and checked for visitors earlier than continuing, solely to be struck by Ellen’s automotive. The lawsuit states that the plaintiff suffered accidents within the crash and is searching for unspecified damages.

Staff claimed some have been fired after taking medical or bereavement depart, whereas others alleged they have been warned by no means to talk to DeGeneres immediately in the event that they encountered her at work. One staffer, who spoke to The Each day Mail, ended up strolling away from the present completely after being subjected to repeated racially charged remarks.

Because the accusations unfold on social media, Ellen’s model of kindness started to seem like a façade. “That ‘be sort’ bullsh-t solely occurs when the cameras are on. It’s all for present,” one ex-staffer bluntly instructed the outlet.

Whereas a lot of the backlash towards Ellen centered on her alleged remedy of employees, insiders additionally claimed that her protectiveness over her spouse usually triggered stress behind the scenes.

In keeping with a unique former crew member, Ellen didn’t like others participating with Portia and would typically lose her mood if employees have been caught chatting with the actress throughout tapings. “Portia was good, she would say ‘hello.’ However Ellen, she can be in her chair, it will be a industrial break, and if she didn’t know you, she would ask about you,” the supply recalled.

Staffers mentioned Ellen had a particular seat reserved for Portia within the studio viewers, marked with a definite gold plaque. The message, they claimed, was clear. “And hear, you knew, should you see that golden plaque, keep the hell away,” the insider defined. “You simply hoped and prayed you weren’t seated by her spouse, so that you didn’t get her consideration. You needed to keep away from wanting into what we known as the ‘Ellen gaze.’”