If you enjoy daytime talk shows and have searched the Internet, you may be wondering what happened to The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Rolling Stone published an exposé on an alleged toxic work environment fostered behind the scenes on Friday, May 12, 2023. The news comes only days after Variety announced that The Kelly Clarkson Show would relocate its production from Los Angeles to New York City. What exactly happened on The Kelly Clarkson Show?
Ten former and one present employee told the music and entertainment magazine that various executive producers and production managers did not treat them professionally or respectfully while they worked on the show.
The staff said that Kelly Clarkson was unaware of the toxic work environment that existed and that their difficulties with the show had nothing to do with her personally. “Kelly is incredible”.
“She is a person who treats everyone with dignity and is incredibly appreciative,” one coworker stated.
“I’d be surprised if she knew. I’d be shocked if she learned that the staff wasn’t paid for the two weeks of Christmas vacation. Kelly, whom I interacted with and whom everyone knows, would be shocked to learn that.”
The employees also claimed that they were “overworked and underpaid,” and that “working on the show endangered my mental health.”
According to one employee, “NBC is protecting the show because it’s their new money maker, but Kelly has no idea how unhappy her staff is.”
Other former employees shared information about Emmy Award-winning executive producer Alex Duda, whom one called a “monster.”
“I have an executive producer friend who warned me about taking this job because apparently, she has done this on every show she’s worked on,” the former employee stated.
Former employees were also dissatisfied with the show’s culture, according to Rolling Stone, despite a number of HR complaints. They’re also concerned that as the season progresses, the working environment may deteriorate.
“You’d think they’d be proactive and caring, but they just nod their heads and take notes and it goes nowhere,” one employee complained.
One former employee reported that after their exit interview, they told HR about their unpleasant experiences with certain producers, but instead of disciplinary action, those producers were promoted.
Another employee claimed that an unnamed production manager exhibited unreasonable conduct when approached. “He would speak in ways that you’re not supposed to speak in a professional environment—cursing, raising his voice, and throwing a huge temper tantrum,” the former employee stated.
“Others who know him would dismiss it, saying, ‘Oh, he’s in a terrible mood,’ but it shouldn’t be dismissed. “How does he get away with such bad behavior?”
Some employees become emotional during their workday due to the alleged stress of the job. “I remember going up on the stage roof to cry, thinking, ‘Oh, my gosh, what am I doing?'”
“Why am I putting myself through this?” recalled one employee. “It made me never want to work in daytime again,” claimed another. “When I say I was traumatized, I really mean it.”
One former employee also said that they were intimidated by producers who went out of their way to make workers afraid to raise questions and complete tasks. because of the circumstances, they took a month off from work and saw a doctor for the first time in their lives since they “truly couldn’t handle it mentally.”
According to another colleague, working at The Kelly Clarkson Show was “by far the worst experience I’ve ever had in my entire life.”
The show’s parent company, NBCUniversal, sent a statement to Us Weekly regarding the allegations against the show and its producers.
“We are committed to a safe and respectful workplace and take workplace complaints very seriously; to suggest otherwise is false.”
“When problems are reported, they are evaluated, investigated, and dealt with as soon as possible. The Kelly Clarkson Show wants to provide a safe, respectful, and equitable workplace that fosters an inclusive and creative atmosphere.”
What’s your take on the Kelly Clarkson Show’s work environment? Do you think the showrunners are telling the truth? Go ahead and leave your comments below. Have a good Day!
