ABC/Randy Holmes(LOS ANGELES) — Ratings for Ellen Degeneres’ daytime talk show hit an all-time low last month following the bombshell Buzzfeed article alleging a toxic work environment behind the scenes, according to The Wrap.

Ellen’s ratings, for the week ending July 26, were down 9% from the previous week, based on Nielsen, and a staggering 29% from the same week last summer.

That 29% drop compares with a -27% drop in the prior week — versus the comparable week in 2019 — which was the same week in which Buzzfeed published its first story about The Ellen DeGeneres Show, according to The Wrap.

It should be noted that ratings for talk shows are typically lower while in summer repeats.

A growing number of former employees and one current Ellen staff member have spoken out about experiencing misconduct, racism and intimidation in the workplace.  An internal investigation is taking place.

By George Costantino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

ABC(LOS ANGELES) — Alyssa Milano is cautioning fans that COVID-19 testing isn’t 100 percent reliable after testing negative for the virus three times despite having serious symptoms.  Finally, an antibody test — her fourth overall — told her what she already knew.

The Charmed actress shared two photos to Instagram on Wednesday, the first one of her breathing with the assistance of a ventilator and the second being that of her positive COVID-19 test. 

“This was me on April 2nd after being sick for 2 weeks. I had never been this kind of sick,” The 47-year-old explained. “I basically had every Covid symptom.”

“It felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t keep food in me. I lost 9 pounds in 2 weeks,” Milano listed off, adding that she suffered from fever, malaise and confusion.

Despite presenting all the textbook symptoms, the Who’s the Boss? star claimed she tested negative for the virus on three separate occasions, including a finger prick antibody test.

Still, symptoms persisted and morphed into other complications, such as vertigo and “zero short term memory.” Finally, she submitted herself for a fourth and final test, a blood draw antibody test, and finally learned that she did have COVID-19.

Now, she’s using her platform to educate her followers that “our testing system is flawed and we don’t know the real numbers.”

“This illness is not a hoax,” Milano continued. “I thought I was dying. It felt like I was dying.”

The mother of two revealed that she now intends to donate her plasma “with hopes that I might save a life.”

Urging her 2.8 million followers to “take care of yourselves” by wearing a mask and social distancing, Milano begged, “I don’t want anyone to feel the way I felt.”

Incidentally, Milano created a firestorm on Twitter back in May when she uploaded a picture of herself wearing a mask that appeared to be crocheted. She later addressed detractors by insisting she had a real protective mask under the crocheted one, which was full of holes.

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for THR(LOS ANGELES) — Oprah Winfrey is facing backlash over her comments about white privilege. 

During the latest episode of the Apple TV+ series The Oprah Conversation, the 66-year-old media mogul, who was joined by former NFL pro and race activist Emmanuel Acho, opened the floor up for non-Black viewers to ask questions. 

One guest took this opportunity to say, “Not all white people have power. There’s plenty of poor, working-class white people. But I think that when we group all of white people together and we don’t recognize the fact that there’s a lot of white people that struggle, and it’s a different struggle as you mentioned because they’re not streaming upstream let’s call it…”

They continued, “I think that if we’re gonna come together and really attack racism and the inequities that are in this country and are in this world, that it’s important not to group all white people.”

Winfrey responded, “There are white people who are not as powerful as the system of white people — the caste system that’s been put in place. But they still, no matter where they are on the rung or ladder of success, they still have their whiteness.” 

She added, “You still have your whiteness. That’s what the term ‘white privilege’ is. It means that whiteness still gives you an advantage, no matter.”

Oprah’s response didn’t seem to sit well because over on Twitter users blasted her by using her Forbes estimated $2.6 billion fortune against her. 

One of her critics was Texas Senator Ted Cruz who tweeted, “Billionaire Oprah lectures the rest of us… What utter, racist BS.”

Connecticut-based activist JT Lewis also chimed in and questioned, “How did Oprah make 2.6 billion dollars if America is so racist?”

By Danielle Long
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Billionaire Oprah lectures the rest of us:

“You still have your whiteness. That’s what the term ‘white privilege’ is. It means that whiteness still gives you an advantage, no matter.”

What utter, racist BS. https://t.co/02PADVJkrZ

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) August 5, 2020

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How did Oprah make 2.6 billion dollars if America is so racist? https://t.co/UrYU3fxLe4

— JT Lewis (@thejtlewis) August 5, 2020

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