‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ Named In Lawsuit Filed Against NBC Universal

NBC "The Kelly Clarkson Show" has been named in a lawsuit filed against NBC.

The American Federation of Musicians is suing NBC Universal claiming that the company “failed” to pay musicians for performing on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” the “Today” show, “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon,” and “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” according to court documents obtained by Heavy. The lawsuit was filed in federal court on January 5, 2023, records show.

Rolling Stone first reported on the lawsuit. The American Federation of Musicians is made up of 80,000 musicians and is the largest union for musicians, according to its website.

“NBC owes musicians probably hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages. Unfortunately, whenever AFM attempts to resolve these claims in good faith, NBC denies, disrespects, and drags its feet. Meanwhile, we have musicians who have been waiting more than two years for their paychecks,” AFM lawyer Jennifer P. Garner told Rolling Stone in a statement. Heavy has reached out to NBC Universal and “The Kelly Clarkson Show” for comment.

The American Federation of Music Says in the Lawsuit That NBC Universal Owes Thousand of Dollars for Contract Violations Related to Kelly Clarkson’s 2021 Christmas Special, Court Documents Show

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, according to court records. The lawsuit accuses NBC Universal of breaching “its collective bargaining agreement with the union,” according to the civil complaint obtained by Heavy. The lawsuit said the music used in violation of the agreement includes “backing tracks, incomplete tracks and pre-recorded material.”

According to the lawsuit, The American Federation of Musicians is accusing NBC of failing “in numerous instances to pay at least the minimum scale wages owed to musicians for broadcasts of ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show and ‘Today.'” The lawsuit cites NBC’s 2021 Christmas special, starring Clarkson, as an example. The union accuses NBC of failing to pay contractors and band leaders for the special and wrote in the lawsuit that NBC “failed to pay wage premiums owed for work performed beyond an eight-hour spread and/or for work performed between 12:00 midnight and 8:00 a.m., as required.”

The lawsuit adds, “NBC further failed to pay meal penalties owed for requiring musicians engaged for the Kelly Clarkson Christmas special to work more than six consecutive hours without a meal break.” The union claims that NBC Universal owes almost $40,000 in violations for wages, almost $12,000 for pension violations and more than $2,000 for additional violations, court documents show.

The Lawsuit Accuses NBC of at Least 171 Contract Violations Connected to ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’

According to court documents obtained by Heavy, The American Federation of Musicians is accusing NBC Universal of more than 171 contract violations connected to “The Kelly Clarkson Show” between 2019 and 2022. The other violations listed in the lawsuit are not as major as the Christmas special issue, according to AFM. They are seeking penalties raning from about $300 to less than $2,000 in most cases.

This week’s schedule for “The Kelly Clarkson Show” is jam-packed with talent.

On Monday, January 9, 2023, Clarkson welcomes Howie Manel and Terry Crews to talk about “America’s Got Talent: Extreme” as well as Jackie Shutlz. On Tuesday, Clarkson welcomes Niecy Nash, Ernie Hudson, Melia Kreiling, and Jessica Betts. Wednesday’s guests are Andie MacDowell, Whitney Peak, and Brad Meltzer, and on Thursday, Marlee Martin, Tyler Posey and “The Voice” star Jeremy Rosado will be on the show. To round out the week, Friday’s episode will include Nick Jonas and Wendy Raquel Robinson.

Clarkson performs each day with a new “Kellyoke” segment. On January 4, 2023, Clarkson performed Blake Shelton’s song “Honey Bee,” and fans were obsessed with it. Clarkson put a bit of an up-tempo twist on the song and pitched it up an octave, leaving fans calling her the “best singer since Whitney Houston.”

“She knows how to put the country in country, the soul in r&b and the pop in pop,” one person wrote in the YouTube comment section. “She is a one of a kind singer.”

“The Kelly Clarkson Show” is not Clarkson’s only project airing on NBC. “The Voice” returns on March 6, 2023, and will see Clarkson join Blake Shelton, Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan as coaches.