“American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson said she was shocked by allegations of a “toxic” work environment on the set of her popular talk show.
The 41-year-old star described her reaction to hearing about the alleged incidents as part of an exposé that was released in May.
“I definitely was blindsided,” she told The Hollywood Reporter in a piece published Thursday. “But I think the important thing is, we get into this mindset of canceling everything or everyone. And that’s not unhealthy because it’s like, ‘OK then …’ Because what you’re saying is every time somebody says something, then it’s just over.”
Clarkson continued: “And that’s not how you work on things. You have to progress. You have to go, ‘Oh man, well, maybe we can do better at this. Obviously, we might have missed the mark here, so what can we do better?’”
The “Because of You” singer went on to discuss how the show moved from Los Angeles to New York, representing a fresh start for them. Clarkson said they were already working on ways to merge the New York team and the people coming from L.A. so there wasn’t division among them.
“I think that’s all that did for us is one, recognize: OK, there’s something wrong, maybe. I didn’t know when that first came out. So, how do we fix this? How do we be better and better examples? So we’re already doing that, and adding on to what we already had planned initially, just to make sure everybody feels included and a part of the team,” she continued.
The sources cited in the original report, which was published by Rolling Stone, put most of the blame on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” executive producer Alexa Duda. Many of the anonymous staffers told the outlet that Clarkson herself likely didn’t know what was going on.
The staffers told Rolling Stone that the working environment was “traumatizing to their mental health.”
One employee said, “I remember going up on the roof of the stage to cry, being like, ‘Oh, my gosh, what am I doing? Why am I putting myself through this?’”
Another said, “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.”
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Clarkson later addressed the claims, saying she didn’t know any of that was going on.
“In my 20 years in the entertainment industry, I’ve always led with my heart and what I believed to be right,” Clarkson wrote. “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,” she continued in the statement. “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.”