NEW YORK - Although her name is at the top of the call sheet of her hit talk show, Kelly Clarkson had no idea what was going on behind the scenes.
The Grammy and Emmy Award winner recently opened up about the claims of toxicity that plagued her daytime chatfest. In May, nearly a dozen current and former employees spoke on record for a Rolling Stone expose, sharing their experiences of bullying and verbal abuse - not from Clarkson but by the show's senior and executive producers.
Amid the accusations, Clarkson announced that she would move production from Los Angeles to New York City for the show's fifth season.
The "Stronger" singer has since admitted to being "blindsided" by the claims, but plans to learn from it and do better.
"I think we get into this mindset of canceling everything or everyone. ... What you're saying is every time somebody says something [you disagree with], then it's just over," she told The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview. "[But] 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?'"
With a plan to embrace inclusivity and promote connection among the staff, Clarkson said she plans to "marry" the employees who worked in Los Angeles with the new crew in NYC, with the goal to "make sure everybody feels like they're valued and a part of the team."
The 13-time Emmy-winning show premiered in 2019 and has since become a ratings draw in national syndication. Airing on 211 stations, "The Kelly Clarkson Show" officially took over the timeslot previously held by "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," which was also embroiled in toxic workplace claims before it ended.
In November, NBCUniversal announced "The Kelly Clarkson Show" will air through at least 2025.
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