In the midst of controversies surrounding The Ellen DeGeneres Show, a resurfaced tweet could cast a damning shadow on the star of the long-running, hit daytime talk show. Reports of a toxic workplace environment enveloped the series earlier this summer and employees demanded that the queer icon take responsibility for the alleged harassment, racism, and sexual misconduct occurring on set. 

The latest development in the fate of the show is an old tweet. 

"I made one of my employees cry like a baby on today’s show," @TheEllenShow account tweeted on June 5, 2009. "Honestly, it felt good."

Here's a screenshot of the tweet, taken at 11:23am PT on Tuesday, August 15, 2020.

It's unclear if DeGeneres making her employee cry was a positive or a negative experience. Did the employee cry because of a sweet or tender moment with Ellen, or was it something more mean-spirited? It's hard to say, but Twitter has interpreted it as the latter and has already begun spamming the account with memes. 

2009 was a zenith of messy celebrity tweets and this one has resurfaced at one of the most inopportune times for Ellen, who is fighting to rehabilitate her (and her show's) image. As BuzzFeed News reports, The Ellen Show just fired three of their top-level producers after allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct.

PRIDE will update this story as it develops.