Ellen DeGeneres has received the unexpected People’s Choice Award for best daytime talk show, following the numerous bullying and harassment claims made by former staff members at her workplace.

The 62-year-old television host received the controversial award and took a moment to confess how grateful she was with everyone who makes her show possible, crediting her employees and her fanbase, “thank you, thank you, thank you, deep down in my heart. Thank you.”

Ellen went on to say that the award was not only about her and she remarked that she was accepting it “on behalf of my amazing crew and staff,” commenting about their effort and dedication, as they “show up every single day, give 100% of themselves, 100% of the time,” making the successful production possible.

The comedian and entrepreneur received backlash before and after publicly apologizing for the reports of misconduct, including accusations of turning staff “traumas into a joke,” when former members of the staff pointed out that she had “somehow managed to make this about her,” during her apology, which was criticized as “fake,” because of the amount of joking involved.

During the apology she acknowledged that “things happened here that never should have happened,” in reference to the work on set, expressing that she was in fact “so sorry to the people who were affected.”

DeGeneres talked directly to her fans during her speech on Sunday, highlighting how grateful she was for the support and “for sticking by me,” adding that it meant “more than I can say.”