The 'Because of You' songstress is slammed after she promotes new music on her Instagram account shortly after news about the alleged toxic work environment on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' broke online.
- May 13, 2023
AceShowbiz - Kelly Clarkson seemingly promotes her new music at the wrong time. The "American Idol" winner came under fire after she promoted new music on her Instagram account shortly after former and current "The Kelly Clarkson Show" employees made damning claims about its alleged toxic work environment.
On Friday, May 12, the pop singer shared on the platform the track's cover art for her upcoming single featuring a black-and-white photo of her. "you're my favorite kind of high new song from my album #chemistry comes out on 5.19! pre-save now. link in bio," she wrote in the caption.
The post didn't sit well with some of her followers, who demanded the TV host to address the toxic workplace claims. "Uhhhhh. Are you going to address what's happening with your show? The toxic environment with the producers? The potential WGA violations involving producers writing your episodes? This is extremely concerning, honestly," one user asked.
Another critic said, "PLEASE ADDRESS THE TOXIC WORKING ENVIRONMENT AT YOUR TALK SHOW BEFORE YOU BECOME THE NEXT ELLEN," referring to "The Ellen DeGeneres Show", which ended its run in May 2022 following similar controversy.
In a bombshell expose published by Rolling Stone on Friday morning, one current and 10 former staffers of the Grammy winner's daytime program claimed they were "bullied and intimidated" by the show's "monster" producers. They additionally said that they were "overworked," "underpaid" and overall "traumatized" by the experience.
Despite that, the employees noted that Kelly didn't seem to be aware of the behind-the-scenes situation. "NBC is protecting the show because it's their new money maker, but Kelly has no clue how unhappy her staff is," a former employee told the magazine. Another staffer called the "Because of You" songstress a "fantastic" person who "never treats anyone with anything but dignity and is incredibly appreciative."
"I would be shocked if she knew," they added. "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."
Meanwhile, a spokesperson of NBCUniversal denied the allegations in a statement to PEOPLE. "We are committed to a safe and respectful work environment and take workplace complaints very seriously and to insinuate otherwise is untrue," the statement began.
The rep also confirmed that the broadcaster is willing to investigate any allegations or concerns that are raised. The statement continued, "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."
