�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 expos� 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.�

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.�

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Let's go Brandon!