'The Kelly Clarkson Show' Staffers Allege A Number Of 'Toxic' Elements In Its Workplace Atmosphere

Several staff members at "The Kelly Clarkson Show" are coming forward and alleging the talk show has a "toxic" work environment behind the scenes.

Singer Kelly Clarkson added 'talk show host' to her repertoire four years ago, and her self-titled show has garnered a strong viewership and has accumulated several well-known special guests and performers.

According to several current and former staff members, the atmosphere behind the scenes is less than ideal.

A new report from Rolling Stone contains accounts from a crop of current and former staff members alleging several situations perpetuating a problematic atmosphere.

According to Rolling Stone's report, these accounts paint a picture of an environment wreaking havoc on staff member's mental health and an environment where they are not paid adequately for their work.

The outlet also stresses the current and former staff members who came forward to share their accounts are "veterans in the entertainment industry who know the potential downsides to work in a high-pressure environment like daytime television and are disappointed to see this culture perpetuated on a show that had a chance to make a difference in the industry."

Those who came forward had a common element to their stories: they all stressed Clarkson is not responsible for perpetuating the alleged toxic environment, and those members are "confidant the talk show host doesn't have a sense of how unhappy employees are about the working conditions."

A person of interest multiple accounts have in common is the show's producer, Alex Duda, per the AV Club. Duda is reportedly known to be "a monster" behind the scenes.

The outlet shares that Duda has reportedly put other staff members in "uncomfortable positions."

Duda allegedly "questioned one (white) employee as to 'Why don't Black people want to see Kelly?' and reprimanding another for asking executive producers how the show would address the rise of Asian-American hate crimes." The staff member who brought Duda's alleged behavior to HR was later "bullied and excluded from meetings and eventually left the show over perceived retaliation."

A former staffer told Rolling Stone, "NBC is protecting the show because it's their new money maker, but Kelly has no clue how unhappy her staff is."

Another ex-employee said, "I remember going up on the stage roof to cry, being like, 'Oh my gosh, what am I doing?' Why am I putting myself through this?''

Several staffers, past and present, also shared they had to find secondary ways to help supplement their income, such as "working for Uber Eats and babysitting and dog walking."

Duda's name continued to come up frequently; an ex-staff member said, "I think Alex Duda is a monster. I have a friend who is an executive producer who warned me about taking this job because [Duda] has done this on every show she's worked on."

Duda also allegedly "shields Clarkson from what staffers say they're enduring because of the climate Duda created."

The mutual assertation that Clarkson is unaware of the climate continued to come up in the story.

A group of ex-staff members also reveal their frustration over the fact that there reportedly hasn't been any action taken to remedy the behind-the-scenes decorum despite "several HR complaints."

"They worry the longer the behavior continues without repercussions, the worst it will get as the seasons go on," the report also says.

Duda's alleged behavior also made a recent former employee incredibly anxious to the point of the staff member experiencing bouts of sickness and faltering mental health. Their account alleges Duda had "yelled and cursed" countless times at a producer who regularly "reports" to the producer.

They also added, "This job deteriorated my mental health."

Other employees were driven to seek professional health due to the alleged workplace environment. One former employee shared that their decision to seek professional health was made for the first time in their life, and it was because they felt they "truly couldn't handle it mentally."

Staffers were also reportedly intimidated to the point of being afraid to reach out for help and "ask questions" at any point, which prevented their work from being completed.

Clarkson has not publicly responded to these allegations as of this writing, and there is no word of whether Duda will face repercussions.

The former staffer who sought help said, "It deterred me from ever wanting to work in the daytime again. When I say I was traumatized, I was traumatized."