TV Vet Sally Jessy Blasts Kelly Clarkson For Her Daytime Show, Slams #MeToo Movement In Podcast Rant
Feb. 3 2022, Published 2:11 p.m. ET
Tabloid talk show host Sally Jessy is airing her grievances with today's TV programs — especially when it comes to Kelly Clarkson's daytime show.
Known for her hit program, Sally, the TV legend believes that the art of interviewing has gone downhill with different celebrities starting up their own talk shows, and she thinks The Kelly Clarkson Show is a prime example.
"Kelly Clarkson is not an interviewer," Jessy declared in her brutally honest conversation on the "Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef" podcast, per Radar. "People are writing questions on a little, you know, thing, but if you had to do it by yourself and make it fascinating, you've got a problem because the broadcasters insist on using people who haven't come up through the ranks."
"The people who have been news people, who have been correspondents, who know what they're doing, who knows who's who in show business, you know, that's one thing," the 86-year-old continued, "But these are not people like that, so it boggles my mind. It's only as good as the guy who writes the questions."
In addition to trashing Clarkson — who got her start as a powerhouse singer on American Idol — for having her own talk show, Jessy also went after Ellen DeGeneres and Drew Barrymore for their similar programs: "The problem is you've got an actress and you've got a person who sings, and they take the people and they go…even Ellen DeGeneres, who was a comedian. Because you're a comedian does not make you a talk show host, does not make you an interviewer."
She also made a point to comment on the rumors that DeGeneres is "mean" and runs a toxic work environment on her show.
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"People are complaining that she was mean. Do you know something? Every comedian I ever met was mean," Jessy snapped. "Comedians are angry. That's what makes them comedians."
As if her attack on Clarkson wasn't a hot enough take, Jessy shared yet another controversial view when discussing the #MeToo movement on Yontef's podcast.
As Radar reported, Jessy believes the countless stories of sexual assault that have come to light in the industry in recent years are "getting to be insane."
"In my day, these guys acted like Harvey Weinstein…Was it OK? Was it right? No, it was very wrong. Did you do anything about it? Yes. You handled it. You learn the word. No," she bluntly stated.
She also harshly suggested that if saying "No" isn't enough, then women should just "shrug your shoulders" because, "it's the old boy network and they have been around and they were brought up in the '40s and that's the way they are."