Breen claimed that he was told to not talk, not approach, and not to look at DeGeneres whatsoever.
More recently, a former camera assistant for the show alleged that she and others were never “allowed in the same room” as the host, and that lower-tier employees were told to leave rooms as soon as DeGeneres entered them.
The rumors that Ellen DeGeneres did not allow eye contact began circulating in earnest in July when Neil Breen, the former producer of Australia’s Today show, spoke about his experience with the talk show host in 2013.