Kevin Hart has hailed Ellen Degeneres as "one of the dopest people on the planet" following the allegations against her talk show.
Producers of ‘The Ellen Degeneres Show’ have been accused of creating a "toxic work environment" by several former employees, as well as sexual misconduct claims being placed against two of the show’s top executives.
Whilst Ellen, 62, was not accused of any wrongdoing in the allegations, she sent a letter of apology to her staff last week, which caused backlash after Brad Garrett – who appeared on the chat show six times between 2004 and 2007 – accused her of treating some people on the programme "horribly".
And to support the talk show host, Kevin Hart has now posted a social media tribute to his friend, whom he insists has always treated him "with love and respect".
In an Instagram post, Kevin wrote: "It’s crazy to see my friend go thru what she’s going thru publicly. I have known Ellen for years and I can honestly say that she’s one of the dopest people on the f****** planet. She has treated my family and my team with love and respect from day 1.
"The internet has become a crazy world of negativity….we are falling in love with peoples down fall. It’s honestly sad…When did we get here? I stand by the ones that I know and that I love. Looking forward to the future where we get back to loving one another….this hate s*** has to stop. Hopefully it goes out of style soon. (sic)"
The ‘Central Intelligence’ star also noted he wasn’t trying to "disregard the feelings" of those who have made allegations against Ellen’s producers.
He added: "This post is not meant to disregard the feelings of others and their experiences….It’s simply to show what my experiences have been with my friend. Love you for life Ellen. (sic)"
Kevin’s message of support comes after Katy Perry recently said her experiences on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ have been "positive", and praised Ellen for her "continual fight for equality".
Ellen has also been supported by her wife Portia de Rossi, and by DJ Samantha Ronson, who is the sister of music producer Mark Ronson.
Stars have come out in defence of Ellen after ‘Everybody Loves Raymond’ star Brad slammed her on Twitter last week.
The 60-year-old actor wrote: "Sorry but it comes from the top @TheEllenShow. Know more than one who were treated horribly by her. Common knowledge."
Meanwhile, in her letter to staff, Ellen said she was "disappointed" to hear about the allegations surrounding her show’s producers.
She wrote: "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. Obviously, something changed, and I am disappointed to learn that this has not been the case.
"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."