On Sunday, amid mounting toxic-workplace allegations, the 53-year-old posted a video accompanied by the caption, “I’ve missed my people❤️.”

“Oh look who it is. If it isn’t Andy Lassner,” he begins the clip on Instagram. “Well, yes it is. Your eyes do not deceive you. I’m back. I’ve been away for a little bit, dealing with — you know, some stuff. You may have read about it.

“It’s been a couple of rough months. But it’s when we go through these things, I guess, when we learn the most about ourselves, and maybe even some growth,” he continued. “But to tell you it hasn’t been rough would be a lie, and I’ve always been honest with you. It’s been rough. But I’m back.”

It’s been a disastrous summer for DeGeneres after an explosive report was published in which former and current employees came forward to speak about the allegedly toxic work environment behind the feel-good talk show. They claimed that the set was filled with racism, sexual harassment and fear. The embattled star reportedly decreed that staff not look at her, a charge that she later called “insane” in a staff Zoom meeting.

The show has already gone through a dramatic overhaul with three senior producers being ousted.

Last month Lassner hinted at personal difficulties when he posted a video of himself walking.

“I’ve been down, a little anxious, this is the best I’ve felt when I’m walking,” he said. “It helps me breathe, it helps me see nature. It helps me realize that the world is a lot bigger than my little brain. And sometimes I create bad scenarios in my head that aren’t based in reality.”