Sofia Vergara claims that she was 'in on the jokes' that Ellen DeGeneres made about her accent

The scandal surrounding Ellen DeGeneres and her long-running talk show and accusations of mistreatment of staff members continue to make headlines.

In the past few weeks, DeGeneres found herself being accused of racism after footage resurfaced of her appearing to mock the accent of Columbia-American actor Sofia Vergara.

Several clips emerged of the Modern Family star appearing on the show where she was the butt of some of DeGeneres's jokes such as trying to teach her the 'English word of the day' and remarking that her accent was 'getting worse.'

Another clip saw DeGeneres and Vergara talk about a commercial that they had made together in 2015 where the host suggested that the actress had struggled with a few of the lines, leaving many to interpret this as further mockery.

However, Vergara has leaped to the defence of the 62-year-old. In a tweet that she posted she claimed that she was 'always in on the joke' and it was just there way of having 'fun with each other'.

Vergara's tweet warranted a mixed response with some thanking her for clearing up the controversy but others criticised her for not defending herself and others who speak with Spanish accents.

Despite the controversy surrounding DeGeneres, many celebrities including Katy Perry, Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Hart have also defended her.

Indy100 has contacted Ellen DeGeneres for comment.