Kelly Clarkson is speaking out about the allegations against her daytime talk show.
After eleven of her current and former staff members accused The Kelly Clarkson Show series of being a “toxic” work environment, the 41-year-old singer took to Instagram on Saturday morning to address the situation, saying:
“In my 20 years in the entertainment industry, I’ve always led with my heart and what I believe to be right. I love my team at ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’, and to find out that anyone is feeling unheard and or disrespected on this show is unacceptable. I have always been, and will continue to be, committed to creating and maintaining a safe and healthy environment at ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’.”
Related: Kelly Clarkson’s Divorce Album Is Gonna Be Fiery — ‘Damn, She Went There’!
Kelly added that with the show’s move to New York City soon, she is “more committed than ever” to making sure her staff – both old and new – is made up of the “best and kindest in the business.” One way she plans to make sure that happens? There will be “leadership training” for the senior staff members – including her. She wrote:
“Part of that build will include leadership training for all of the senior staff, including myself. There is always room to grow and ensure we are all being/becoming the best version of ourselves in any business. Especially when it comes to leadership, to ensure that any notion of toxicity is eradicated.”
Wow. You can read the entire statement from Kelly (below):
As we mentioned before, this message comes after a new report from Rolling Stone revealed that many employees from The Kelly Clarkson Show feel “overworked, underpaid” and often “bullied and intimidated” to the point where the show has been “traumatizing to their mental health.” One person even called the show “by far the worst experience I’ve ever had in my entire life.” Yikes!!
According to the bombshell exposé, though, the staffers insisted Kelly was not responsible for the “toxic” workplace conditions on the popular show. In fact, one former employee swore she “has no clue how unhappy her staff is,” noting that “NBC is protecting the show because it’s their new moneymaker.” Another ex-worker backed these claims, telling the outlet:
“Kelly is fantastic. She is a person who never treats anyone with anything but dignity and is incredibly appreciative. I would be shocked if she knew. I’d be floored if she knew the staff wasn’t getting paid for two weeks of Christmas hiatus. The Kelly that I interacted with and that everyone knows would probably be pretty aghast to learn that.”
Instead, the negative environment was blamed on the higher-ups on the show, specifically calling out executive producer Alex Duda, who allegedly hid how unhappy many staff members were from Kelly. A former employee explained:
“I think Alex Duda’s a monster. I have a friend who’s an executive producer who warned me about taking this job, because apparently she has done this on every show she’s worked on.”
A producer who used to work with Alex alleged that she “yelled and cursed at them multiple times onstage,” which caused them “so much anxiety” to the point they would “regularly vomit and exhibit physical signs of sickness.” Awful. Another former staff member said they felt “bullied, picked on, and put in uncomfortable positions” by Alex. Others mentioned bullying from other higher-ups, including a production manager who was “verbally abusive to them” and would “speak in a way that you’re not supposed to in a professional environment — cursing, raising his voice, and throwing a huge temper tantrum.”
Basically, it is very similar to allegations of a toxic workplace Ellen DeGeneres faced before her series came to an end. And sadly, seven staffers reported their negative experiences to NBCUniversal during their exit interviews. One person even received a call from HR, who pointed out that the producers’ behavior was “unprofessional.” But yet nothing was done to improve the workplace environment! Instead, those same producers who were called “unprofessional” by HR received a promotion. Ugh.
Since the explosive report came out, Kelly wasn’t the only one to speak out. A spokesperson for NBC told Page Six on Friday:
“We are committed to a safe and respectful work environment and take workplace complaints very seriously and to insinuate otherwise is untrue. When issues are reported they are promptly reviewed, investigated, and acted upon as appropriate. ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ strives to build a safe, respectful, and equitable workplace that nurtures a culture of inclusivity and creativity.”
Here’s hoping some actual change happens on set now because no one should go to work with so much anxiety and fear of being bullied. What do you think about Kelly’s response to the allegations, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments below!
[Image via The Kelly Clarkson Show/YouTube]
