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Kelly Clarkson has found herself being accused of having a toxic workplace on the set of her talk show in a story that is reminiscent of the claims made against Ellen DeGeneres a few years ago.

Toxic Workplace Scandal Engulfs ‘Kelly Clarkson Show’

One current and ten former employees on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” told Rolling Stone that their workplace is so toxic that they are left “overworked, underpaid” and “traumatized.” They went so far as to say that they are often “bullied and intimidated” by producers on the show’s set.

“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?’” claimed one former employee speaking on condition of anonymity due to fear of retribution.

Another former staffer said that they had to see a psychiatrist for the first time in their life because they “truly couldn’t handle it mentally” on the talk show. This ex-staffer described the experience of working on Clarkson’s talk show as by “far the worst experience I’ve ever had in my entire life. It deterred me from wanting to work in daytime ever again. When I say I was traumatized, I was really traumatized.”

Making matters even worse for the former staffers, they claim that they were not paid enough by “The Kelly Clarkson Show” to live solely on those salaries. This left them having to take other jobs like baby-sitters, dog walkers and Uber Eats drivers just so they could pay their bills.

Related: Ellen DeGeneres’ Toxic Workplace Scandal Comes Back To Haunt Her – Struggles With Ratings, Guests, And Advertisers

Former Staffers Defend Clarkson

Despite this, the former staffers have no bitterness towards Clarkson, claiming that she has no idea how badly they are being treated because she is shielded from it.

“NBC is protecting the show because it’s their new money maker, but Kelly has no clue how unhappy her staff is,” one former employee said, with another describing Clarkson as being a “fantastic” person who “never treats anyone with anything but dignity and is incredibly appreciative.”

“I would be shocked if she knew,” this former staffer continued. “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.”

Former Staffers Expose The ‘Monster’

Instead of Clarkson, the person that the ex-employees believe is to blame for the toxic workplace on set is the show’s executive producer Alex Duda, who has worked on other talk shows like “The Tyra Banks Show” and “The Talk.”

“I think Alex Duda’s a monster,” said one former employee who alleged that Duda has “done this on every show she’s worked on.”

One former producer who reported to Duda directly claimed that she “yelled and cursed at them multiple times onstage,” causing them to develop “so much anxiety” that they would “regularly vomit and exhibit physical signs of sickness.”

“This job deteriorated my mental health,” the worker added.

The former staffers also blamed an unnamed production manager for being “verbally abusive to them and others.”

“He would speak in a way that you’re not supposed to in a professional environment — cursing, raising his voice, and throwing a huge temper tantrum,” one ex-employee said. “Other people who know him would laugh it off and say, ‘Oh, he’s in a bad mood,’ but it shouldn’t be laughed off. Why does he get a pass for bad behavior?”

Related: Ellen DeGeneres’ ‘Toxic Workplace’ Scandal Comes Calling – Show Posts 1+ Million Viewer Loss

NBC Responds

NBC has since responded to this report by saying, “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 network added. “‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ strives to build a safe, respectful and equitable workplace that nurtures a culture of inclusivity and creativity.”

These claims are very similar to the ones that led to the demise of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” If Clarkson doesn’t make some serious changes soon, it sounds like her talk show may suffer the same fate.

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