Lisa Gregorisch-Dempsey, longtime senior executive producer of Hollywood gossip show More, announced Friday that she will step down in September. The news comes just months after The Daily Beast reported on “toxic” office culture in tabloid TV shows where the top boss is accused of “bullying” employees, including some of its stars.
“I’m proud to be the longest-running executive producer of any entertainment show in America, but now it’s time to move on,” she said. Daily mail in an exclusive story published on Friday.
Gregorisch-Dempsey praised the “phenomenal team” from her “great show”, adding that she will “go away with so many great memories”. More, Letters The announcement featured silly quotes from both current host Bill Bush and former host Mario Lopez.
Bush declared: “Lisa G is a frontrunner, shattering glass ceilings, inspiring one person, one woman, and one producer. “Our partnership will always hold a special place in my heart. I admire her, thank her and love her.” Lopez added: “Lisa G is responsible for shaping me, not only as a host, but as the person I am today. She is super smart, funny and smart and I will always love and respect her. We are a one-two punch of helluva. I have fond memories of my time at More. “
The LettersHis article made no mention of The Daily Beast’s report, which featured a dozen current and former employees accusing Gregorisch-Dempsey of operating More as the “mafia” and even allegedly “threatened” Lopez as he considered leaving the show.
Gregorish-Dempsey, through powerful lawyer Marty Singer, has vehemently denied all the allegations, calling them “reckless and defamatory”.
The Letters Nor did it mention Warner Bros.’s “thorough third-party investigation of the show.” “We have begun to take appropriate action based on our findings, and once the investigation is complete, we will take additional measures as needed,” the studio noted earlier this year.
After Gregorisch-Dempsey left, More will be run by her current lieutenants, co-executive producers Theresa Coffino and Jeremy Spiegel, both of whom have been with the show for many years. “I really left the show at best,” she said.
Gregorisch-Dempsey declared to Letters that her departure comes as “the pandemic has caused her to rethink what she wants to do with her life” and she has decided to call it quitting now rather than the end of the year. of the contract.
She and her husband currently live in Naples, Florida, while the show continues to shoot in Burbank, California – a controversial deal with the staff, as The Daily Beast reports. A longtime employee said in April: “Lisa is very uninterested. “She literally puts herself in the air and then goes and flies around in her plane during the workday.” Her bosses at WarnerMedia apparently agreed, sources said at the time, informing Gregorisch-Dempsey that she needed to show up at the Burbank studio at least once a month.
That request appeared more frequently in the California offices that seemed to have pushed Gregorisch-Dempsey away.
“Working remotely for almost three years has been a life-changing gift. As employees started going back to the office, I realized that moving back to Los Angeles was a commitment I was no longer willing to make,” she said. Daily mail. “I totally understand why the task of getting back to work makes sense, especially for a daily TV show like Morebut it’s not for me anymore. “
“She doesn’t want to [return to Burbank] and leave her husband. It’s her deal breaker, “a current person More staff told The Daily Beast. “So she will retire. Not sure how many people believe that.”
The employee added: “The consensus is that she was coerced. Retire or get fired”.
