Kelly Clarkson has something to say.
About something rather unfortunate and very troubling.
Earlier this week, Rolling Stone published a scathing article that alleged to detail all the unhealthy conditions behind the scenes of The Kelly Clarkson Show.
In the exposé, a number of staffers claimed they were underpaid and found the production to be “traumatizing to their mental health.”
One such employee — who chose to remain anonymous — recounted to the outlet how she once crie on the roof of the stage, wondering:
“’Oh my gosh, what am I doing? Why am I putting myself through this?’”
Citing the program’s executive producer, another told Rolling Stone:
“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.”
Nearly all the individuals interviewed for this piece agreed that Clarkson herself was unaware of all the drama, with one person stating Clarkson is a “fantastic” boss and another saying Duda “shields” the singer from all the awful behavior backstage.
Now, meanwhile, Clarkson has spoken out on the scandal.
“In my 20 years in the entertainment industry, I’ve always led with my heart and what I believed to be right,” she wrote on Instagram.
“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.”
The former American Idol winner continued by saying she is “committed to creating and maintaining a safe and healthy environment.”
She plans on including leadership training for all the the senior staff, including herself.
“I would be shocked if [Kelly] knew. I’d be floored if she knew the staff wasn’t getting paid for two weeks of Christmas hiatus,” one former employee told Rolling Stone.
“The Kelly that I interacted with and that everyone knows would probably be pretty aghast to learn that.”
On May 12, in the wake of this report going viral, a rep for NBC Universal said via statement:
“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.”