Ex-Employees Reveal TMZ Newsroom To Be Abusive
Sharaf Maksumov/ShutterstockEx-TMZ employees come forward about the abusive work environment.
TMZ is known for its celebrity news and gossip. It is now apparent that they have also built their brand upon a toxic work environment full of racism, misogyny, and verbal abuse.
One current and 23 former TMZ employees confirmed that these allegations are true. An ex-employee filed a lawsuit on parent companies, Warner Brothers Entertainment, and EHM Productions for gender discrimination and retaliation. A TMZ spokesperson claimed that the lawsuit was simply an act for negative publicity with monetary intentions.
Given the callous nature of TMZ’s work and the company’s approach to said work, none of these allegations are surprising. https://t.co/fxRizSYG2u
— Evette Dionne (@freeblackgirl) September 9, 2020
“If you’re talking about the rights of Black people, if you’re talking about misogyny, if you’re talking about equality amongst everyone, it’s never reflected in the workplace,” the employee said. “We’re reporting on all of that stuff, but we’re not doing it ourselves,” said an anonymous employee.
A current employee told BuzzFeed News that there are barely any women in senior roles. Additionally, she exposed that the company hires people of color only “because they know that they need to, as opposed to appreciating and valuing them.”
A new group of ex-employees chose to stay anonymous, as a way to prevent any retaliation towards themselves. They made the point that other media newsrooms will soon be exposed, as it will only take time.
TMZ getting TMZ’d? https://t.co/qIWTZN57mr
— Otto-ish (@OttoFernandez) September 9, 2020
“How they treat women in a demeaning manner transcends to how they represent women on their site. The two go hand in hand,” a former Warner Bros. employee said.
The creator of the news site, Harvey Levin, has also received some backlash. Former employees said that he, along with other executive producers, would speak to employees using profanity. Screaming and cursing were said to happen on a regular basis. Words used include “retarded” and “moron.” Phrases used include “talking to you guys is like talking to a room full of special ed kids” and “my dog takes better direction than you.”
At one point, a former employee admitted to feeling physically threatened when receiving explicit words and phrased Levin used to describe her.
Current TMZ employees defended the company and said the words that were said to be used would never be used by anyone in authority. They also released a statement saying that they make sure their hiring practices are very diverse.
They may say this, but similar complaints have been recorded for years. HR responded by concluding the investigation, by lack of merit with the allegations.
Former TMZ employee said she was fired after she complained to HR about a culture of toxicity and sexism described as “a boys’ club,” “100% a bro fest,” and a “freaking frat house.”
This is far from shocking given the sexist click-bait TMZ peddles.https://t.co/f0v65mbHR4
— Adrienne Lawrence (@AdrienneLaw) August 25, 2020
There are countless amounts of victims to these allegations that have either commented, reported, or filed documents of complaints. The truth is always revealed, it will only be time until other media outlets will receive the same rath as TMZ.
