Katy Perry, Kevin Hart support Ellen DeGeneres amid scandal

As Ellen’s high-profile friends rally, her brother has released a furious public statement labelling allegations against her “bulls**t.”

Ellen DeGeneres’ celebrity friends are defending the talk show host amid reports that she has been “mean” to her staff and others behind the scenes.

And in a stunning development, her own brother has come out in her defence, issuing a passionate statement on Facebook.

“Ok, I need to say something. My sister is being viciously attacked. And let me assure you - it is all bulls**t,” wrote Ellen’s older brother Vance, an actor and comedian.

“I put up a simple statement yesterday that said ‘I stand by Ellen.’ Only a handful of my Facebook ‘friends’ responded to it. If you don’t support Ellen, then you don’t support me, so please unfriend me. I’m sick and tired of my sister being attacked. She always has - and always will - stand against bullying of any kind. She’s a smart, strong woman who has made a positive difference in the world. And to my friends who did respond with support for Ellen and my family, thank you so much. It means a lot.”

Vance (at left) with Ellen and her wife Portia.

Vance’s show of support comes after Katy Perry, who has appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show many times, took to Twitter on Tuesday to share her experiences.

“I know I can’t speak for anyone else’s experience besides my own but I want to acknowledge that I have only ever had positive takeaways from my time with Ellen and on the @theellenshow,” Perry, 35, tweeted.

“I think we all have witnessed the light and continual fight for equality that she has brought to the world through her platform for decades. Sending you love and a hug, friend @TheEllenShow.”

RELATED: Portia de Rossi’s bizarre defence of Ellen

Ellen DeGeneres and Katy Perry on The Ellen Show. Picture: YouTube

Many criticised the Roar singer for speaking out, including one fan who wrote, “You’re rich and well-known Katy. You may have had positive experience, but her staff and co-workers have spoken out on how they are mistreated; you cannot just invalidate their experience and feelings.”

a suggested edit if you're ever thinking about putting out a statement about your positive personal relationship with someone embroiled in abuse allegations pic.twitter.com/12Y8E2Z3PP

— julia reinstein 🚡 (@juliareinstein) August 4, 2020

I feel like part of the reason Katy Perry may have had a more positive experience with Ellen DeGeneres than the interns and less-paid staff workers coming forward about their toxic work environment is because she's like...

Katy Perry https://t.co/VfVgy4Kz4B

— D'Angelo Wallace (@dangelno) August 4, 2020

ellen’s employees: we are being mistreated 😔

katy perry: not me 🧚🏻‍♀️

— jackie 🧡 (@90sMariah) August 4, 2020

Meanwhile, Kevin Hart took to Instagram to also share a photo of himself with DeGeneres, adding a lengthy caption where he stood by his friend and slammed the “crazy world of negativity” on the internet.

“We are falling in love with people’s downfall. It’s honestly sad,” wrote Hart. “When did we get here?”

He went on: “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***ing planet. She has treated my family and my team with love and respect from day one.”

Hart went on to say that he stands by “the ones that I know and that I love” and called for and end to “this hate s**t” online.

“Looking forward to the future where we get back to loving one another,” he wrote. “Hopefully it goes out of style soon.

“This post is not meant to disregard the feelings of others and their experiences,” concluded the actor.

“It’s simply to show what my experiences have been with my friend. Love you for life Ellen.”

Former late night talk show host Jay Leno also had a kind message for his longtime friend.

I don’t discard a 40-year friendship on hearsay. The Ellen I know has raised over $125 million dollars for charity and has always been a kind and decent person. I fully support her. Jay Leno pic.twitter.com/b3i283YIBk

— Jay Leno (@jayleno) August 4, 2020

Shortly after DeGeneres’ celebrity friends began speaking up, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star Rachel Bloom took to Twitter to point out that their perspectives may not actually be relevant to the issue at hand.

Just wanna say that I have both worked behind the scenes of tv shows and been the celebrity guest on them and the two experiences are very different. Having a good time being a guest does not necessarily have anything to do with the experiences of the employees.

— Rachel Bloom (@Racheldoesstuff) August 4, 2020

Diane Keaton was among those lending support to the embattled talk show host, writing on social media Tuesday, “I always enjoyed my visits to The Ellen Show. I’ve seen how the audience exudes happiness and gratitude. She gives back to so many including me.”

On Monday, Jerry O’Connell reposted a photo DeGeneres’ wife, Portia de Rossi, first shared on her Instagram that said, “I Stand By Ellen.”

“Love Ellen and Portia,” he captioned the post. “Always have. Always will.”

O’Connell, 46, was also criticised in the comments, with one person saying, “If you’re a truer friend and are going to stand with her. Then also stand with her when she’s wrong and let her know she’s wrong for the way she’s treated people.”

RELATED: Timeline of Ellen’s downfall

O’Connell’s post attracted criticism. Picture: Valerie Macon/AFP

RELATED: Ellen slammed by fellow stars

Polo player Nacho Figueras, who is best friends with Prince Harry, shared on his Instagram on Monday that he has been on The Ellen DeGeneres Show many times and finds it to be a “very well run machine”.

“Everyone was super nice, not just to me but to each other and anyone involved,” he wrote in the caption of a photo of him and DeGeneres, 62, hugging.

“I have seen Ellen act not just in her show but in public appearances in theatres where she is nice to absolutely everyone, the guy serving the coffee, the person in the elevator, the security guy and the owner of the venue.”

He added that everyone loves DeGeneres because she “makes the world a better place for millions of people everyday”.

He encouraged others to look past her alleged missteps because “no one is perfect, and we cannot control everything”.

Getting ahead of the backlash, Figueras, 43, added, “If I am going to be criticised for defending someone that I think deserves to be defended then so be it. We are all so scared to say what we really think and it seems that we are only relevant if we say whatever the trending social media topic is.”

Since May, DeGeneres has come under fire for alleged rude behaviour to show staffers.

In July, WarnerMedia launched an investigation through a third-party firm to see if there was any truth to the accusations of a toxic workplace culture on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

DeGeneres has admitted some fault, saying in part in a memo to staffers that she is “sorry” because as they’ve “grown exponentially, I’ve not been able to stay on top of everything and relied on others to do their jobs as they knew I’d want them done”.

This article originally appeared in the NY Post and was reproduced with permission