According to an article via Deadline, two former Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune executives have filed suits lodging complaints of alleged age, gender, and race discrimination against Sony Pictures. The two women also claim they have faced alleged retaliation from the company.
Deadline reports Shelley Ballance Ellis and Monique Diaz have lodged complaints with California’s Civil Rights Department and the National Labor Relations Board alleging that Sony allegedly fired them and other employees in retaliation for allegedly calling out discrimination and toxic working conditions on Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Diaz, a Latina woman, was employed by Sony Pictures Entertainment, where Ballance Ellis, a Black woman, served as Executive Director, Licensing and Clearance. In April, the two were fired.
The two women allege they were let go because they voiced their opposition to alleged ageism, income disparity, and racial discrimination at work, according to Deadline. In addition, they raised concerns about alleged offensive and racist remarks about Black women allegedly made in the control room of Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy! questions that allegedly downplayed racial prejudice issues.
According to Deadline, Ballance Ellis pointed to alleged comments from Maya Angelou (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Tyler Perry’s Family Reunion) in 1995 where she allegedly boycotted Jeopardy! for its lack of diverse contestants, and Vanna White’s pay dispute with Wheel of Fortune in the claims.
“As the highest-ranking Black production executive on Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune… I had a front row seat as I watched and experienced this racial bias and insensitivity,” Ballance Ellis stated via Deadline.
Diaz also highlighted an alleged incident in Deadline where she and other colleagues expressed discomfort over alleged “plantation” shots for Wheel of Fortune. “It was clear that Sony knew there was discomfort with this. My team and I were uncomfortable with having to negotiate footage, location, and photo agreements with representatives of plantations,” she said. Additionally, Diaz accused producers of Wheel of Fortune of allegedly making sexist and racist remarks about comic Leslie Jones (Saturday Night Live, Top Five) and other women of color, specifically in reference to their hair.
Currently in its 41st season, Jeopardy! is hosted by Ken Jennings and executive-produced by Michael Davies, according to Deadline. Sony Pictures Television is the show’s producer; CBS Media Ventures handles domestic distribution, while Paramount Global Content Distribution handles foreign distribution. Season 42 of Wheel of Fortune, presented by Ryan Seacrest and executive produced by Bellamie Blackstone, is currently airing.
Sony delivered the following statement in an interview with Deadline: “Sony Pictures Entertainment takes all allegations of discrimination very seriously. Earlier this year there was a broad reorganization of our game show group that resulted in the elimination of several roles to address redundancies and evolving business needs of a 40+-year-old operation. Those eliminations were business efficiency decisions and not retaliatory. Further, the past few years have been a time of significant transition and internal reorienting for Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, driven by a new leadership team who are profoundly dedicated to fostering a culture of inclusivity and respect. We are anchored to these values as we usher in a new era for our game shows with tenacity and circumspection.”