Friday, April 26, 2024

Ellen DeGeneres spoke about the 'devastating' end of her talk show. Here are all the celebs who have spoken out about their experiences with her.

celebrities ellen backlash
Celebrities have spoken up about their experiences with Ellen DeGeneres.

Amy Sussman / Getty Images; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images; Rachel Murray / Getty Images

  • "The Ellen Degeneres Show" ended in May 2022, two years after toxic workplace allegations surfaced.
  • Celebrities have spoken out over the years about their relationship with DeGeneres.
  • DeGeneres recently addressed the end of her talk show during the first show of her stand-up tour.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

She was supposed to go out with a bang, but Ellen DeGeneres' much-loved talk show instead went out with a whimper. 

In 2020, current and former staffers began airing claims that the talk show host had mistreated employees and fostered a toxic work environment on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." Then, celebrities started sharing their own stories about the comedian.

Some stars, such as Brad Garrett and Lea Thompson, expressed negative sentiments toward DeGeneres, claiming her "nice" persona was a facade, while others, including Scooter Braun and Katy Perry, defended the star. 

Almost two years after her show ended in 2022, DeGeneres spoke about the ending of her talk show and the allegations of its toxic environment on the first stop of her "Ellen's Last Stand...Up Tour," Rolling Stone reported. 

"I got kicked out of show business. There's no mean people in show business," DeGeneres joked, per Rolling Stone. 

The experience, however, did deeply affect her, DeGeneres said during her set.

"Honestly, I'm making jokes about what happened to me but it was devastating, really," she said. "I just hated the way the show ended. I love that show so much and I just hated that the last time people would see me is that way."

Even years after the 2020 controversy and ending of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," celebrities like Emily Ratajkowski have continued to question some of her behavior. 

Here's what celebrities are saying about DeGeneres.

Brad Garrett said DeGeneres' mistreatment of others was 'common knowledge'

The "Everybody Loves Raymond" actor Garrett called out the comedian via Twitter on July 31.

Garrett, who has appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" multiple times, reshared Variety's article about the comedian's letter apologizing to staffers who felt disrespected.

In the letter, DeGeneres said she hadn't been able to closely manage the show as it grew in recent years.

"Sorry but it comes from the top ⁦@TheEllenShow," Garrett wrote.

The actor continued to say he knew "more than one" person who was "treated horribly" by DeGeneres, adding that her behavior was "common knowledge."

Lea Thompson echoed Garrett's claims

The "Back to the Future" actress Thompson seconded Garrett's message that DeGeneres' mistreatment of others was "common knowledge."

On July 31, Thompson replied to People's report about his comment and wrote: "True story. It is."

The actress didn't provide further details on her personal experience with the talk-show host, however.

Music manager Scooter Braun called DeGeneres a 'kind, thoughtful, courageous human being'

Braun, who manages artists like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, defended the comedian in a series of tweets on July 31.

"People love to take shots at people," he wrote. "They love to see people fall. How quickly so many forget."

Braun continued to describe DeGeneres as a "kind, thoughtful, courageous human being who stands for what is right and highlights on her show the best of us," adding that she'd used her platform to "change the views for equality."

"Needed to say this as I know first hand how she helps so many when we are watching and when we are not," he wrote. "She isn't about what is popular she is about what is right. Sending love to Ellen today."

Portia de Rossi, DeGeneres' wife, shared a message in support of the comedian

The model Portia de Rossi spoke out in support of DeGeneres in an Instagram post on August 3.

De Rossi, who married the comedian in 2008, shared a picture that said "I Stand By Ellen" on it along with the show's mantra, "Be Kind To One Another," in the corner.

She captioned the post: "To all our fans....we see you. Thank you for your support."

The celebrities Kris Jenner, Nacho Figueras, and Brandi Carlile were among those who liked and commented on de Rossi's post.

Argentine polo player Nacho Figueras said DeGeneres 'makes the world a better place'

In an Instagram post he shared August 2, Figueras opened up about his friendship with DeGeneres and called on others with platforms to defend the talk-show host.

After saying he'd waited for "someone with more authority" to speak up about DeGeneres' character, Figueras reflected on his own appearances on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and called it a "very well run machine."

"Everyone was super nice, not just to me but to each other and anyone involved," he wrote.

Figueras went on to say he'd seen DeGeneres treat people kindly both on and off of her show.

I have been patiently waiting for someone with more authority than me to speak up about what a great human being @theellenshow is. I have been very lucky to be on that show many times and I can tell you that it is a very well run machine, everyone was super nice, not just to me but to each other and anyone involved. I have seen Ellen act not just in her show but in public appearances in theaters 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. Everyone loves her because that is who she is. She makes the world a better place for millions of people everyday and we cannot hit her because something may have not been perfect. No one is perfect, and we cannot control everything. So I stand for you my friend and I challenge all the amazing people that know you and call you a friend to say who you are. The world has become a very dangerous place because it seems that we cannot make anything right. If I am going to be criticized 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. So... We love Ellen right? @jenniferaniston @jlo @michelleobama @pink @seanhayes @ladygaga @oprah @katyperry @justintimberlake and whoever else should be on this list which is really long.

A post shared by Ignacio Figueras (@nachofigueras) on Aug 2, 2020 at 8:26pm PDT

"I have seen Ellen act not just in her show but in public appearances in theaters 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," Figueras said.

He added: "Everyone loves her because that is who she is. She makes the world a better place for millions of people everyday."

The athlete then challenged some of DeGeneres' friends — like Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Obama, Pink, Sean Hayes, Lady Gaga, Oprah, Katy Perry, and Justin Timberlake — to share their experiences with the comedian.

"The world has become a very dangerous place because it seems that we cannot make anything right," he wrote. "If I am going to be criticized for defending someone that I think deserves to be defended then so be it."

Katy Perry drew attention to the talk-show host's 'light & continual fight for equality'

Perry shared a positive message about DeGeneres in a series of tweets on August 4.

Prefacing her message by saying she's speaking from her own firsthand experience with the comedian, the pop star said she wanted to acknowledge she's "only ever had positive takeaways" from both DeGeneres and her show.

"I think we all have witnessed the light & continual fight for equality that she has brought to the world through her platform for decades," she wrote. "Sending you love & a hug, friend."

Perry spoke about her decision to publicly support DeGeneres during an interview with The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday. 

"I started that tweet off not undermining anyone else's experience," Perry said. "I wanted to only speak from my own experience. I have over 100 million people that follow me on Twitter, so not everyone is going to agree with me. And I'm not here to make everyone agree with me."

Samantha Ronson said DeGeneres had consistently been 'respectful and kind' to her

The British DJ Samantha Ronson spoke about her interactions with the talk-show host.

"Unpopular opinion: I've worked for @TheEllenShow as a dj, for her parties, for years and she has ALWAYS been respectful and kind to me," she wrote in a tweet August 3.

When a Twitter user pointed out that she was a "celebrity guest" on the show rather than a staffer, Ronson responded: "I wasn't a celebrity guest. I was an employee. Very different. Trust me."

Someone else wrote that DeGeneres was kind only to people with a "certain stature," like Ronson, and the DJ said she "knew this was coming."

"You'd be surprised by how many people are super rude when you become someone they are writing a cheque to," she wrote. "It's super disappointing."

Diane Keaton said DeGeneres 'gives back to so many'

The "Something's Gotta Give" actress Diane Keaton posted an Instagram photo on August 4 of herself and the talk-show host filming an episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

"I ALWAYS ENJOYED MY VISITS TO THE ELLEN SHOW," she captioned the picture. "I'VE SEEN HOW THE AUDIENCE EXUDES HAPPINESS AND GRATITUDE. SHE GIVES BACK TO SO MANY INCLUDING ME."

Kevin Hart said the talk-show host was 'one of the dopest people on the f---ing planet'

The comedian Kevin Hart shared a photo from one of his visits to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" via Instagram on August 4.

"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 1," he captioned the photo.

Hart — who stepped down from hosting the 2019 Oscars following a backlash over his past homophobic tweets — then criticized the public for "falling in love" with people's downfalls.

"It's honestly sad...When did we get here?" he added. "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."

The comedian said his message wasn't meant to "disregard the feelings of others and their experiences" but rather to "show what my experiences have been with my friend."

Ashton Kutcher claimed that DeGeneres 'never pandered to celebrity'

In a tweet the actor shared on August 4, he said that the talk show host treated everyone — both celebrities and nonfamous individuals — with the same "respect & kindness."

"I haven't spoken with @TheEllenShow and can only speak from my own experience. She & her team have only treated me & my team w/ respect & kindness. She never pandered to celebrity which I always saw as a refreshing honesty. When things aren't right she handles it and fixes," he wrote. 

People replied to Kutcher's tweet to explain that mainly staffers, not celebrities, are coming forward about a toxic work environment and sexual misconduct at "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

One person tweeted that the celebrities coming forward to defend DeGeneres are "invalidating" what current and former employees "experienced on a regular basis."

"I understand," Kutcher responded. 

Another individual said that he doesn't have a full perspective on the issue since he's a famous actor. 

He replied, "But it extends to my team and people she didn't even know I work with."

Jerry O'Connell reposted the same photo as de Rossi

The "Stand By Me" actor shared a blue square that read, "I Stand With Ellen" on Instagram on August 4.

O'Connell tagged both de Rossi and DeGeneres in the post and wrote: "Love Ellen and Portia. Always have. Always will."

Love Ellen and Portia. Always have. Always will.

A post shared by Jerry O'Connell (@mrjerryoc) on Aug 3, 2020 at 10:48am PDT

 

The actor told Entertainment Tonight that his longtime friendship with the couple drove him to share his support for DeGeneres.

"I've known Ellen and Portia for almost three decades now and I saw that Portia… Instagrammed out, 'All of our friends, we need your support right now.' And I felt compelled to repost it," he told the outlet, adding, "I just wanted Ellen and Portia to know that I love them very much."

While many of the celebrities defending the comedian have faced backlash, O'Connell said that he's not letting the public affect his relationships. 

"I'm not gonna let Instagram comments and Twitter comments tell me who can and can't be my friends," he said.

O'Connell explained that he does "believe all victims" and "all stories" from former and current staffers, admitting that "something has to change in that work environment."

"But I do love Portia and Ellen. I do. And it's gonna take a lot to change my love for them," he said. 

Jay Leno said he won't 'discard a 40-year friendship on hearsay'

The former host of NBC's "The Tonight Show" offered his full support to DeGeneres on August 4.

"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," he wrote on Twitter. 

Actor Andy Richter pointed out the irony of DeGeneres' entire show's mantra to 'Be Kind'

"A Black Lady Sketch Show" actress Ashley Nicole Black tweeted a message addressing the toxic work environments that are "widely accepted" in the television industry on August 5. 

"I don't think it's that celebs 'don't know' people treat them differently. I think it's that toxic workplaces are widely accepted in this industry, ppl are expected not to complain, and higher ups dont care how folks are treated as long as the work is done on time and on budget," she wrote. 

Actor Andy Richter, who often appears on TBS' "Conan," agreed with Black and highlighted the hypocrisy of DeGeneres' "Be Kind" mantra given former staffers' accusations about the host. 

"I agree," he wrote, adding, "Although there's toxicity tolerated by higher-ups in every industry, but few of those workplaces are controlled by a manager who's entire brand is being 'nice.'"

Howard Stern gave advice to the comedian on his show

On an episode of SiriusXM's "Howard Stern Show" on August 10, the radio personality said that he'd "change his whole image" if he was in DeGeneres' shoes. 

"I'd go on the air and be a son of a b----," he said, adding, "People would come on and I would go, 'F--- you.' Just be a prick."

Both Howard and his wife Beth have both appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" several times and have been longtime friends with the host. During a 2019 episode of the show, Howard and Beth even remarried each other in front of the studio audience.

Musician Phoebe Bridgers called the talk-show host 'ellen degenerate'

Amid the backlash against DeGeneres, the "Garden Song" singer used a pun to give her own two cents about the comedian.

She wrote "ellen degenerate" on Twitter, but Bridgers didn't elaborate on her own personal experience with the host.

Octavia Spencer said all her experiences on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' have been 'supportive and fun'

The actress, who's appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" numerous times over the years, issued a statement supporting DeGeneres via Instagram on August 13. 

"Sending love and support to Ellen and all of the employees of her show," Spencer began.

She continued to share that her interactions with "everyone from the show including ELLEN" were "supportive and fun" and said she's "praying" for the people involved.

Spencer also said she believes "all of the voices of her employees need to be heard" and explained that she's only speaking from her own personal experience with the comedian and her show. 

"Speaking truth to power is the only way change happens. My truth is everyone was kind to me. From the PAs to the producers. So yeah! I want all of those people to feel valued and heard. And no, people are NOT always kind to talent," she wrote. 

After fans accused DeGeneres of mocking Sofia Vergara's accent on the show, the actress said she was 'always in on the joke'

The Colombian-American actress has appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" numerous times throughout the years. In the midst of the accusations against the show, her fans began circulating her interviews with DeGeneres and accused the host of mocking Vergara's accent. 

On August 21, the "Modern Family" actress posted a video from her 2015 "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" appearance on Twitter and shut down claims that the host was making fun of her.

She wrote: "Two comedians having fun with each other to entertain. I was never a victim guys, I was always in on the joke."

Mariah Carey said she was 'extremely uncomfortable' during her 2008 interview on the show

When the "We Belong Together" singer appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2008, the host pushed her to announce her pregnancy. 

Carey quietly said that she prefers not to discuss that on television, so DeGeneres asked her to "toast with champagne" instead, effectively forcing her to admit whether or not she was carrying a child since pregnant women are advised against drinking alcohol. 

"I can't believe you did this to me, Ellen," Carey said. 

DeGeneres then said, "Let's toast to you not being pregnant if you're not pregnant."

The singer continued to stall by making excuses like the time of day or champagne's "fattening" effects, leading the host to yell, "You're pregnant!"

 

Carey miscarried shortly after the interview. 

The clip resurfaced online 18 years later amid the controversy surrounding DeGeneres, and Carey revealed that the moment made her "extremely uncomfortable" during an August 2020 interview with Vulture.

"I was extremely uncomfortable with that moment is all I can say. And I really have had a hard time grappling with the aftermath," she told the outlet. 

Carey continued, "I wasn't ready to tell anyone because I had had a miscarriage. I don't want to throw anyone that's already being thrown under any proverbial bus, but I didn't enjoy that moment."

The singer finished by stating that there's "an empathy that can be applied to those moments that I would have liked to have been implemented. But what am I supposed to do? It's like, 'What are you going to do?'" 

Steve Harvey called DeGeneres one of the 'coolest and kindest people' in entertainment

ellen degeneres steve harvey
Ellen DeGeneres and Steve Harvey are friends.

Jonathan Leibson / Getty Images

The comedian came to DeGeneres' defense on an episode of "PEOPLE (The TV Show!)" that aired on September 17. 

"I'm going to say this about it: Ellen DeGeneres, the person that I know, that I've known for a number of years, that I saw back in the comedy club days, when we used to split time with the same management, all of this and what's happening now, Ellen, the person, is probably one of the coolest and kindest people I've met in this business," he said. 

Though DeGeneres' show returned on September 21 after a break, Harvey previously told Entertainment Tonight that he'd "walk away" from "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" if he were her.

"Ellen has got a lot of money. If I was Ellen, I'd just walk away," he said, adding, "She got enough. I wouldn't let them drag me down like that!"

The comedians have been friends for years, and Harvey has appeared on DeGeneres' show several times. They also cocreated and coproduced the show "Little Big Shots" together in 2016. 

Alec Baldwin told DeGeneres that she was 'one of the most funny and talented people' in show business

During his appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on September 23, Baldwin shared words of encouragement with the talk-show host via video chat.

"I have followed your career from when you were doing stand-up and you were a solo performer. I've watched the films you've done, and I've watched your success on this TV show, and you are one of the funniest and most talented women, one of the most funny and talented people, in all of show business," he told her. 

Baldwin added, "We all have some patches of white water here, but you keep going. Don't you stop doing what you're doing."

Ryan Phillippe mocked DeGeneres' 'Be Kind' mantra during his outdoor jog

The "Cruel Intentions" actor seemed to take a jab at the talk-show host during his jog on Saturday. 

Phillippe posed in front of a poster with DeGeneres on it and wrote, "And remember to be kind... wait," a reference to the show's "Be Kind" catchphrase. He shared the selfie to his Instagram story. 

According to Us Weekly, the actor hasn't appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" since 2011. 

NikkieTutorials said that Ellen was "cold and distant" to her 

YouTuber Nikkie Tutorials, whose real name is Nikkie de Jager, was asked to appear on "Ellen" in 2020. The vlogger had come out as transgender after being threatened with blackmail, and her story went viral. 

She told the Dutch TV show De Wereld Draait Door  it was a "huge honor" but said that she had a less than great experience on the show. Degeneres, she said, had acted "cold and distant" toward her. 

When she was asked what it was like to appear on the show, she told the host: "It's really nice that you came over and said hello to me... She didn't."

Ellen's former DJ Tony Okunbowa said he felt the 'toxicity' of the show's environment'

Tony Okunbowa was Degeneres' on-air DJ from 2003 to 2006 and 2007 to 20013. In August 2020, as allegations against Degeneres and the production emerged, he posted on Instagram alleging that the show had been a toxic place, though he didn't specify what he'd experienced in his time there.

"I have been getting calls asking me about the Ellen Degeneres Show and I would like to address the time I spent there," he wrote. "I was on air talent from 2003-2006 and from 2007 -2013. While I am grateful for the opportunity it afforded me, I did experience and feel the toxicity of the environment and I stand with my former colleagues in their quest to create a healthier and more inclusive workplace as the show moves forward."

Emily Ratajkowski came to Taylor Swift's defense after watching a resurfaced clip of the singer on 'Ellen'

In January 2023, an old clip of Taylor Swift on the "Ellen Degeneres Show" resurfaced on TikTok, showing Swift visibly upset and on the verge of tears after Degeneres made her play a "game" in which she was supposed to identify all the men she had dated. 

"It makes me feel so bad about myself every time I come up here you put like a different dude up there on the screen, and it just makes me really question what I stand for as a human being," Swift said. 

After viewing it, model Emily Ratajkowski commented, "This is so fucked up. She's literally begging her to stop."

"Watching that [interview], I was so struck by how clear she's being about what is making her uncomfortable," Ratajkowski told Elle in a January interview. "I think the lens that I would've viewed that interview from 10 years ago versus now has evolved so much, which is why it struck me. I was in bed falling asleep and commented on it, not because I thought it was going to make headlines at all."

Ratajkowski went on to say "that clip in particular was just so striking to me because she was communicating very clearly about why she didn't feel comfortable with what was happening. And it was making everyone laugh. It actually upset me. And I think that just even that speaks to a larger thing I've noticed, where people don't listen to femme-presenting people."

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4 people who relocated and regretted it share the biggest mistake they made and what they learned

A needle popping a balloon
People who relocate shared their biggest mistakes, from leaving family to skimping on research.

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  • Four people who moved to new places share their regrets and what they'd do differently.
  • One person Business Insider that they would spend more time in their new destination before moving.
  • Another said they regretted underestimating the importance of living near their friends and family.

Relocating to a new state or country can be good for your work-life balance, career and finances.

But switching cities, trying out rural life or experiencing a completely different culture can come with surprises.

Business Insider spoke with four people who shared their biggest regret and what they learned from it.

1) Spending too little time in your new destination before moving

Amanda Loudin, a remote worker, moved from her home in Maryland to Boulder, Colorado, during the COVID-19 pandemic. She relocated because she loved outdoor activities and wanted to be near the mountains.

Loudin found it harder than she'd anticipated to find friends and a community — and returned to Maryland two years after she moved.

She told Business Insider she found people in Boulder more introverted than in Maryland. "My neighbors didn't invite me to cookouts, I found no regular running groups that didn't require paying to play, and I didn't fall into fun conversations at the dog park," Loudin said.

Loudin said she'd visited Boulder several times before her move and tried out living there for a month. After relocating, she realized her previous visits were closer to vacations, and she wished she'd spent more time in Boulder before deciding to move.

"More time for real-life experience — efforts to find peers and friends, running partners, and the like — could have helped me learn it wasn't right for me," she said.

2) Not finding more affordable housing

Wendy Wang and her husband moved from Pennsylvania to Silicon Valley, California, in 2020 to work for a tech startup.

She told BI she found the transition difficult. Her work-life balance suffered, and she struggled to find a sense of community.

Wang said that the cost of housing, transport, and groceries was much higher than the national average in the US. It meant they couldn't afford to buy a house and had to rent a two-bedroom apartment for $3,500 a month, not including utilities.

"This financial strain was a constant in our lives, adding to the stress of demanding jobs," she said, adding that she wished she'd looked into more affordable housing outside the city before making the move.

Wang returned to Pennsylvania with her husband two years after they moved to California. Back in Pennsylvania, the couple could afford to buy a four-bedroom house with a mortgage that costs less than their rent in Silicon Valley.

"Living without constant financial worry has given us the freedom to enjoy life," she said.

3) Not doing enough research

Eric Michiels moved from Atlanta to Denver in 2021 with his wife and two kids. He moved for work, but also said the idea of spending more time in nature was appealing.

Michiels told BI that the weather was colder and less predictable than he'd imagined.

"The winters were especially terrible for us," he said. "I remember being informed by our apartment complex that the temperature would drop below negative 5 degrees for three days in a row and to be prepared if the power went out."

He struggled to make long-lasting friendships and said Denver lacked the "Southern hospitality" he'd found in Atlanta. "After I left one church I visited, no one ever spoke to me or followed up."

He said he felt "naive" and he wished he'd done more research before he moved.

After two years in Colorado, Michiels and his family moved again — this time to Spain in 2023. He got a digital nomad visa and said, in many ways, he prefers Spain to living in Colorado.

4) Prioritizing location over amenities or community

Jackie Branholm moved from New York City to Denver in 2019 with her now-husband. They wanted to try a new city before they settled down.

The couple loved living in Denver and decided to buy their first house there after a year, but they were priced out of the city. "During our search, we fell in love with the idea of living in the mountains with our growing family," Branholm told BI.

They bought an old fixer-upper in a small mountain town 45 minutes from Denver. However, the couple was unprepared for mountain living. "What we loved about the town when we visited on the weekends was not the same experience as a resident," Branholm said.

She told BI living in the small mountain town was beautiful and great for outdoor activities but "logistically and physically isolating." "If we wanted to go to Target or the grocery store, we had to drive at least 20 minutes," she added.

The couple felt cut off from their Denver friends, cafés, and bars. After giving birth to their firstborn, Branholm said the isolation became unbearable.

"Ultimately, we realized how and who we spent our time with was more important than where we lived. Even though we loved going outside and hiking, our priorities changed when we had our son. We wanted life to be easier."

Branholm and her husband moved back to New York to be closer to family in 2023. She said the experience taught them the value of convenience and proximity to friends and family.

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Thursday, April 25, 2024

I never wanted to have kids in the US. Now, I'm happily raising a toddler in Germany.

Woman standing on wooden bridge behind stroller
Susannah Edelbaum is happily raising her toddler in Berlin.

Susannah Edelbaum

  • Susannah Edelbaum got inspired to move from New York to Berlin 10 years ago while visiting friends.
  • She ended up getting married and having a baby in Germany but has struggled with a lot of bureaucracy.
  • She was impressed with the postpartum care and has no interest in going back to the US.

I didn't move to Berlin to get married and have a baby. I moved at 29 after visiting some friends. I had gotten the sense that if I didn't at least try to live in this city, which felt so much calmer, greener, and yet more alive than New York, I'd regret it. My cat and I arrived three months later.

That was 10 years ago, when Berlin was still called "poor, but sexy," and other twenty-somethings traveled to spend entire weekends in the city's techno clubs and live on the cheap in what used to be one of Europe's most affordable capitals. Even these days, cost of living in Berlin is 35% less expensive than New York, according to Numbeo.

I didn't expect to partner up and settle down, but pleasantly, that's what happened.

Getting married in Germany turned out to be so bureaucratically complicated that my boyfriend and I ended up going to Denmark to get hitched. Copenhagen, along with the island of Ærø, is Europe's equivalent of Las Vegas when it comes to streamlined marriage procedures.

And, when we had our baby in 2022, I moved on from puzzling over how to get into the city's tightly-guarded techno clubs to puzzling over how to get my toddler a spot at a Kita, or German day care. The latter is infinitely harder, it turns out.

Berlin is great for parents. That's probably why there are so many.

Germany offers excellent maternity care, including postpartum home visits by a midwife, and down the road, various degrees of subsidized day care — the exact setup varies state by state. But in Berlin both midwives and day care centers are in short supply, according to local news channel RBB24.

This became clear when I was just seven weeks into my pregnancy and at the gynecologist. She asked me if I'd started looking for a midwife. I hadn't. "Well, then you're already late," my doctor sighed.

A few weeks later, I set an alarm and started calling the hospital that had been recommended. To register there, the hospital required expecting parents to call at exactly 12 weeks plus one day into pregnancy — try a day later, and they'd be full. Around 10 calls in, I got through.

A couple of months after that, we took a stab at the Kita Navigator, an online system aimed at helping parents find and contact daycares. Landing a Kita spot in Berlin is notoriously difficult — according to a 2023 report from the research foundation Bertelsmann Stiftung, the city is short around 17,000 places.

I'd heard parents-to-be should get on waiting lists while still expecting, with the goal of securing a place for an unborn child once they turned a year old. My husband and I — mystified as to how to enter the name and birthdate of a baby still in utero — quickly gave up on attempting to navigate the unnavigable Kita Navigator.

Then came the flurry of bureaucracy

For our son's German birth certificate, my own US birth certificate needed an apostille, an extra layer of authentication that this official document is indeed official.

For the baby's US citizenship, we needed to do a Consular Report of a Birth Abroad at the embassy. Off I went on an archaeological dig through our apartment for documentation to prove I'd previously lived in the US as an adult, as there's a residency requirement in order to pass on citizenship. Laid out end-to-end, everything we needed for the CRBA covered our bedroom floor.

To apply for Kindergeld, a monthly child subsidy, and Elterngeld, parental leave pay, there were paper applications that needed to be physically mailed off to various overburdened Berlin administrative offices. All I remember is running on about five hours of broken sleep per night, handing the baby off to my visiting mother-in-law in between nursing sessions, and tackling a pile of paperwork.

Toddler standing near playground with his hands out in the air
The author says that Berlin is filled with playgrounds and her toddler always wants to stop and play.

Susannah Edelbaum

I'm thrilled to be raising a toddler in Berlin

Despite the late start, I found a midwife. The postpartum care she offered me and our newborn was excellent, and I wish it were standard everywhere. Besides weighing the baby, checking that breastfeeding was going well, cleaning his umbilical cord stump, and doing the first bath with us, she gave me week-by-week worksheets with gentle pelvic floor exercises, which I wound up translating for my friend in the US, who'd given birth the day before me and been given nothing of the sort.

As for Kita, when my son was a few months old, I walked him around our neighborhood for 90 minutes while he napped and I wrote down the contact information posted in the window of every day care we passed, then emailed them individually. That worked. Now a toddler, he loves his Kita. It took around thirty waitlists to get offered a single spot, but all you need is one.

I later learned that other expecting parents, particularly non-German speakers, pay self-styled experts to get certain tasks done, like applying for parental leave pay and navigating the Kita system. As a German-speaking household, we didn't go down this route.

Taken individually, no one task here is that difficult, it just felt like a lot altogether, lurching from one form to waitlist to the next, all while exhausted from pregnancy and the newborn months. But hey, the countervailing force of a safety net is a bureaucracy required to administer it. And I can hardly complain that the city's administrative offices are overburdened. People keep moving to Berlin, and I'm one of them.

My son understands everything he hears in both German and English. Getting around this city, where the public transit elevators work around 80% of the time and mostly don't smell like urine, is way better than anyone can say for New York's subway system.

Our biggest problem these days is the most non-problem a parent can have: Berlin has too many playgrounds. It's impossible to find a route anywhere from our apartment where we won't pass one, and our son always wants to stop and play.

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Bird flu could jump to humans any day. A former surgeon general says it feels like 2020 again.

two people in white biohazard suits with masks and goggles handle a vial on a beach next to a dead porpoise
Scientists collect organic material from a dead porpoise on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, during a bird flu outbreak in São José do Norte, Brazil.

Diego Vara/Reuters

  • The H5N1 bird flu virus is spreading through US cattle herds for the first time.
  • The mammal-to-mammal transmission has scientists worried the virus could mutate to spread between humans.
  • Former surgeon general Jerome Adams fears the US is making the mistakes of 2020 all over again.

Bird flu is flying wild. In recent months the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus has been spreading through US cattle herds for the first time ever.

The cow-to-cow transmission is the latest escalation in a global outbreak that began when the virus reemerged in Europe in 2020. It has since killed tens of millions of birds and more than 40,000 sea lions and seals in South America.

World Health Organization chief scientist Jeremy Farrar called this an "animal pandemic" on April 18.

Genetic fragments of the virus, discovered in grocery store milk on Tuesday, suggest the cattle outbreak is more widespread than officials believed, The Washington Post reported.

Experts told the Post that drinking pasteurized milk is probably still safe. Pasteurization deactivates pathogens, probably including H5N1, according to the Food and Drug Administration. However, no studies have specifically tested whether pasteurizing milk deactivates H5N1. According to the New York Times, the FDA is testing that now.

row of cows sticking their heads through metal bars to eat hay feed
A cow looks up from its feed at the Johann Dairy farm in Fresno, California.

Nathan Frandino/Reuters

One human in Texas has tested positive for the virus after exposure to dairy cattle. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that person's only symptom was eye redness.

There has been no known human-to-human transmission. Still, future mutation could allow the virus to spread more easily to and between humans — a possibility of "great concern" to Farrar.

man with turkeys inside coop. sign outside reads 'biosecurity area - no admittance w/o owner permission
Bill Powers with his flock of white turkeys, kept under shelter to prevent exposure to bird flu, in Townsend, Delaware.

Nathan Howard/Getty Images

Dr. Jerome Adams, a former surgeon general and the director of health equity at Purdue University, is getting deja vu.

"If it keeps spreading in animals, then it is eventually going to cause problems for humans, either because we don't have food because they've got to start exterminating flocks, or because it starts to make a jump in humans," Adams, who served under former President Donald Trump and was on the administration's initial COVID-19 task force, told Business Insider. "The more it replicates, the more chances it has to mutate."

Though he agrees with the CDC's assessment that the current risk to humans is low, Adams fears the US is repeating many mistakes it made in the early days of COVID-19.

Weak messaging with no clear leaders

Who is in charge of an animal pandemic in the US? The CDC? The US Department of Agriculture? The FDA?

The answer is, sort of, all of them. That decentralized responsibility could be behind the lack of widespread, clear public messaging so far.

For example, Adams says he hasn't changed anything about his diet, since pasteurization and proper cooking procedures should kill any live virus present. But he isn't sure everyone is getting the message.

He compared it to the development of COVID-19 vaccines, when people distrusted a process they didn't understand.

person with ponytail green hoodie medical gloves inspects eggs in a grocery story
A grocery store employee stocks cartons of eggs at a market in Sonoma County, California, where avian flu infections shut down a cluster of egg farms in recent months.

Terry Chea/AP Photo

"The public needs good consistent communication from the White House, from the USDA, helping reassure them what the process is to keep them safe," Adams said.

Rather than consumers, the people most at risk are agricultural workers or anyone with close or prolonged exposure to chickens or cattle. It's those groups who need strong, targeted guidance right now, Adams said.

Only testing the sick

So far, the USDA has only been testing cattle herds when an animal appears sick. That means asymptomatic spread could be flying under the radar.

"An animal can't tell you, 'Hey, I feel a little under the weather today.' So they're literally waiting until an animal is collapsing or showing fatigue or showing severe symptoms," Adams said. "We need a testing strategy that is proactive and allows true surveillance, and not reactive."

The USDA took a step forward on Wednesday, ordering that all lactating dairy cows must be tested for H5N1 before they're moved across state lines and that all positive test results must be reported.

New York Times columnist Zeynep Tufekci reported that same day that, until now, the USDA has not been keeping track of positive test results in cattle.

Election distraction

donald trump
Former President Donald Trump, at a press conference after leaving the second day of his defamation trial involving E. Jean Carroll.

Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

In late 2019 and early 2020, the big news story was the impeachment, and later acquittal, of President Trump. Now a different Trump trial is dominating the news.

And, as in 2020, this is an election year.

"The Biden administration, particularly the White House, has been incredibly quiet on this bird flu situation. Why? To me, it looks like they very much don't want to scare the public and spook the economy in an election year," Adams said.

Business vs. public health

Just like the lockdowns of COVID-19 were devastating for the restaurant and hospitality industries, a crackdown on avian flu can be devastating to the chicken industry.

The treatment for a bird flu outbreak is to kill all the chickens. Even before that, just testing the flock can slow down production.

"We're seeing the same tension between business interests and public health interests," Adams said.

What's more, many of the workers who handle chickens and cattle are undocumented immigrants. That can make them and their bosses hesitant to call in authorities over diseased animals.

Many vulnerable groups were hesitant to report illness in the early COVID days, too, including migrant workers and people who didn't have sick leave from work.

"My concern is we keep making the same mistakes over and over again," Adams said. "Because we keep focusing on the wrong things instead of focusing on the root causes."

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High inflation could be here to stay as commodity prices spike again after a 2-year decline, World Bank says

Inflation could see a resurgence in 2025, BlackRock strategists warned.
Inflation could see a resurgence in 2025, BlackRock strategists warned.

Jonathan Kitchen/Getty Images

  • High inflation will stay for longer as commodity prices rallied again after falling for two years, World Bank Group says.
  • The bank expects global inflation to jump by a solid percentage point by 2024 due to the flip-flop oil prices driven by geopolitical risks.
  • The multilateral lender also predicts Gold to surge to a record high in 2024, then ease off a bit in 2025.

High inflation could be with us for a while as a key deflationary force wanes, the World Bank Group said, 

The World Bank said in a report on Thursday that the two-year decline in global commodity prices has come to a halt, and an escalation of conflict in the Middle East has reversed the downward trend in inflation. 

The report said commodity prices had dropped by roughly 40% between mid-2022 and mid-2023, bringing the global inflation rate down around by two percentage points over the past two years. However, the sector is moving in the opposite direction since the latter half of 2023. 

"Global inflation remains undefeated," Indermit Gill, the senior president and chief economist of World Bank, said in the note, adding that the energy price shock would bring the world economy to a "vulnerable moment."

The economist foresees interest rates remaining higher than anticipated this year and next, with a projected 3% drop in commodity prices for 2024 and 4% for 2025.

But this sluggish decline will buoy commodity prices around 38% higher than pre-COVID averages, offering little relief for inflation-weary economies. 

The conflict between Israel and Iran raised fresh concerns this month, and the Ukraine-Russia war has no end in sight. Both conflicts threaten global energy supplies and risk stoking more inflation. 

The World Bank warned that a significant disruption could propel oil prices beyond $100 per barrel, hiking global inflation by almost a full percentage point in 2024.

"A striking divergence is emerging between global growth and commodity prices: despite relatively weaker global growth, commodity prices will most likely remain higher in 2024-25 than in the half-decade before the COVID-19 pandemic," the World Bank's deputy chief economist, Ayhan Kose, said. 

That fear of lower growth and high inflation was on display in the US on Thursday, as first-quarter GDP came in much lower than expected even as consumer prices remained high in the quarter. 

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I quit medicine for an entry-level corporate job. I felt behind but didn't have the passion to become a low-paid doctor.

Photo collage of Salaha Ashraf with a stethoscope, and an office.
Salah Ashraf went into an entry-level job at an aerospace company after finishing med school.

Assembly/Getty Images; Salaha Ashraf; Jenny Chang-Rodriguez/BI

  • Salaha Ashraf spent her last few years of medical school feeling stressed and anxious.
  • She said hospital wards were under-resourced and busy, and she knew she wanted to quit. 
  • After graduating, she applied for a corporate grad scheme, embarking on a new career path.

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Salaha Ashraf, 28, from Bolton, a town in the northwest of England. Ashraf went to medical school in 2014 but pivoted into a corporate career after deciding she didn't want to be a doctor. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

There wasn't a defining moment when I decided to go into medicine. I sort of fell into it. In my South Asian culture, medical professions are highly regarded. Plus, my siblings worked in the medical field, and I could see them doing well.

During my time working in hospitals for my medical degree, I experienced a lot of anxiety and stress. I was working long shifts and felt like I was being thrown into the deep end.

I decided to leave the medical field in 2020 after finishing my degree. I got on a corporate graduate scheme at 25 and now have a 9-to-5 in HR. I've never looked back.

I struggled with the UK's understaffed hospital environment during my studies

I started my five-year medical degree in 2014 at a university in northwest England.

The first two years of my course were focused on learning theory about anatomy and physiology and the last few years were spent in hospitals, learning the skills and techniques I'd need to be a doctor.

I enjoyed the first few years, but I began to struggle in my third year when it became more hospital-based. In a lecture theatre, I was shielded from the realities of being a doctor.

The NHS has been under increasing pressure. When I worked in hospitals, the wards were understaffed, under-resourced, and extremely busy because of a lack of government funding. It was a tough environment to learn and practice skills. Doctors were being pulled in all directions. Finding one with the time to watch me practice and teach me was hard.

I also had reservations about junior doctors' salaries. Junior doctors in the UK have been striking for years over low pay. My peers had such a passion for medicine that they were willing to be doctors no matter what. I didn't feel I had enough passion to compensate for the lack of fair pay.

I found a new passion for business management but decided to finish my medical degree before switching career path

I dreaded going into my fifth year of medicine and decided to take a year out and do a master's in business management. I wanted to explore areas outside the medical field.

I felt more passionate about business management after one year compared to four years of medical school. I attended lectures because I wanted to, not because I had to.

I knew I wanted to quit medicine, but I was so close to the finishing line after passing my fourth-year finals before taking a year out. Logically, it made sense to finish my medical degree. I was meant to graduate in the summer of 2020, but it was brought forward to April because the pandemic hit.

In the UK, we have graduate schemes that help you get your foot in the door at an industry

During my fifth year, I started applying to graduate schemes. I'd heard about The Times newspaper's book of top 100 graduate employers. I looked through it and applied to a range of companies. My choices were mainly based on location, as I wanted to stay in the north of England, close to my parents.

The application process was harder than I expected. I didn't realize there were various stages, like personality and situational judgment tests. I messed up the first video interview I did. But my technique improved after a few other interviews.

I made it to a final interview with an aerospace company and got offered a remote job as a graduate commercial officer, managing contracts for the company. I started in January 2021.

There was a cohort of around 30 of us on the grad scheme.

I was 25 at the time, and many of the other grads were younger than me. I felt behind and like I should be further in my career at this stage, but I had to remind myself I had the maturity and professionalism that the 21-year-olds didn't have.

I learned a lot about communication while training to speak with patients as a doctor.

The perks of a 9-to-5 job are great

The scheme officially ended after 18 months, and I was given a permanent role in contracts. The company let me pivot into HR six months later because I wanted to do something that would incorporate my people skills.

I felt my medical background made me suitable for HR work. Doctors improve patient's lives, and in HR, I'm improving employee's lives. I left that company in September 2023 and now work in HR at a pharmaceutical company.

In a corporate role, I get my weekends off and have more control over my annual leave. I take an hour lunch break, whereas when I worked in a hospital, I would skip meals to keep up with the workload. I also work from home at my current job, which allows me to spend time with my family.

I feel I'm in the right career for me.

I don't wish I was a doctor

I try to look back at medical school in a positive light. I'm glad I did it because it taught me useful skills, like how to communicate clearly.

If I truly asked myself at 18, "What do I actually want to do?" I probably wouldn't have enrolled in medicine. If I felt empowered to follow my passion, maybe I would have studied psychology, which I found interesting at school. I'm glad I'm thinking about what I want now — better late than never.

I don't for one-second wish I was a doctor. I greatly respect people who are, but I strongly believe it's the passion that drives them — and that's something I ultimately never had.

In response to a request for comment from Business Insider, an NHS spokesperson said:

"There are more doctors working in the NHS than ever before, with more than twice as many people joining the medical register as leavers, but we know there is more work to do to retain our hardworking staff. As part of delivering our NHS Long Term Workforce Plan we've taken action to improve working conditions and improve retention, including increasing choice and flexibility in rotas and reducing duplicative inductions and training so clinicians can spend less time on admin and more time treating patients. At the same we are continuing to expand education, training and recruitment, including a 25% increase in medical places and an expansion of specialty training places, to ensure we have the staff we need to meet the changing needs of the population."

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Wednesday, April 24, 2024

I got severe acne after falling sick from appendicitis. The experience inspired me to start a plant-based-skincare company.

Jenny Evans
Jenny Evans has been working as an esthetician in Los Angeles for almost 30 years.

Stella Kalinina for BI

  • Jenny Evans became interested in wellness after a traumatic appendicitis experience in her 20s.
  • She's now a facialist and owns a skincare company, BeautyGrass, that sells CBD-infused products.
  • Evans' approach to wellness embraces natural ingredients and exercise.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jenny Evans, a facialist and business owner in Los Angeles. It's been edited for length and clarity.

I spent my high-school years as a jock with naturally clear skin. But while I was in school in my 20s to become a furniture designer, my life changed after I developed appendicitis.

The infection turned my whole body toxic. I ended up in the hospital and was prescribed a lengthy list of antibiotics that made me feel sick. My perfect skin erupted into grade 4 severe purple acne across my face.

I needed a reset. I felt lost and was looking for anything to make me feel better. A friend recommended facials. I was a student working as a bartender and couldn't really afford weekly facials. But I stretched my budget thin to try it. After one session, I was hooked. I asked my facialist how she got started, and she told me she went to esthetician school. I enrolled almost immediately.

Jenny Evans
Evans designed her facials business, Saving Faces, to be a calming retreat for her clients.

Stella Kalinina for BI

Becoming an esthetician set me on a journey to heal myself from the inside out. Because I grew up near the Santa Cruz Mountains and had a master gardener for a mother, I always had a love of earth and nature. I continued my education after getting my certification, researching natural remedies and learning Eastern techniques such as cupping to incorporate into my practice.

I discovered the importance of touch

Woman getting a facial by Jenny Evans
Evans treats her hands as the most powerful tools in her practice.

Stella Kalinina for BI

When I started my healing journey, I became most connected to my hands. I realized they're my greatest tools. While working as a bartender, I developed tendonitis and rheumatoid arthritis from flipping bottles. Now I have an intense appreciation for my hands. I practice acupuncture, use herbal remedies, and treat them as my greatest asset in my work.

Human beings crave touch as part of their nature. During the COVID-19 health crisis, I had to close my business three times. I, like everyone else, felt touch-starved and without connection. Those years were some of my most challenging, but I came out of them reinvigorated with purpose.

My knowledge of natural remedies turned into a business

Lab equipment being used to create skincare products.
Evans makes all the products for BeautyGrass herself in small batches.

Stella Kalinina for BI

For wellness practices, I started to look at the world around me and find solutions in nature.

A predictive moment was when I was a child, and I gave my mother a plant because I thought it looked beautiful — she told me it was a cannabis leaf. Later, as an adult, I started researching the properties of cannabis, including its link to apoptosis induction.

Natural skincare remedies in jars.
Evans handmakes her Saving Faces clients' masks using organic ingredients.

Stella Kalinina for BI

After decades of working as an esthetician, I launched my beauty brand, BeautyGrass, shortly before the pandemic started. It incorporates cannabis and other natural ingredients into skincare products. I experimented with how CBD, a non-psychoactive component of cannabis, could affect the skin and tested to see which amounts could potentially help with eczema, psoriasis, and acne.

As I navigate owning a beauty brand, I'm always hearing about the latest trend. There are many products and multistep skincare routines on the market. BeautyGrass is making trends by creating handmade plant-based products crafted sustainably.

Jenny Evans
Evans stocks some of BeautyGrass' bath soaks in the Saving Faces reception area.

Stella Kalinina for BI

Maintaining a space of peace and calm is essential to Saving Faces, my beauty treatment and facials business, and BeautyGrass. I designed the location as a sanctuary to help the outside world fade away. The surfaces are adorned with various crystals, including a large piece of amethyst, my birthstone, that my husband gifted me.

Now I'm living a more mindful life

Jenny Evans
Evans' morning skincare routine prioritizes hydration.

Stella Kalinina for BI

My approach to skincare has always been "less is more." I use a BeautyGrass hydrating oil in the morning and serums on occasion. I've read a lot of research that suggests time in the sun can help improve your mental health, so I don't limit my exposure, and I make sure to put on a little bit of sunscreen. When I'm in the sun, I also hydrate my body by eating water-rich foods such as watermelon and cucumber.

I also practice physical wellness in my regular Pilates lessons. Six years ago, I discovered the Lagree method, which emphasizes slower counts, allowing me to feel more centered and confront my thoughts.

Jenny Evans at pilates class.
Evans regularly attends a Pilates class, which helps her feel more centered.

Stella Kalinina for BI

One of my goals is to pass what I have learned on to my kids. I think they're great, but I'm worried — especially about my 13-year-old daughter — about the parts of their lives I can't control. I teach them to consider how the physical world affects them. I'm not going to try to stop my daughter from putting on sheet masks at sleepovers that make her face red and irritated. But I want her to ask herself, "How does it make me feel?"

My appendicitis changed my direction in life, but it led me on a path that I'm incredibly grateful for. I feel more connected to my body and have a greater understanding of the world around me. I know now that my goal is to create a stable environment for my family and my clients in an unstable world.

Jenny Evans and her family in her home.
Evans has breakfast with her husband, two children, and dog in the morning.

Stella Kalinina for BI

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