Toronto radio host John Deringer was absent from Q107’s “Derringer in the Morning” on Tuesday after former colleague Jennifer Valentine posted a long video on social media over the weekend alleging harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace.
In the nearly 13-minute video, Valentin did not name specific companies or individuals, but described events in which she said she had been a victim of verbal abuse, gender discrimination and harassment in the workplace, as well as her physical health at risk. She also said she had previously filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
“What would you do if a colleague yelled at you, belittled you, called you, turned you off, brought you to tears, and then laughed when he told you to cry as much as you wanted?” That he didn’t feel sorry for you and with full conviction that if you go to HR, they will choose him? ”Valentin starts the video with the words.
“Would you take on your dream job as a radio host if you knew that you would be working with a co-host with accusations of previous violent behavior towards women and that you would also be exposed to two, sometimes three men evaporating in a closed room for four hours a day?” without ventilation? Would you complain about that? ”She continues.
In a statement sent to CTV News Toronto, Corus Entertainment, the company that owns Q107, confirmed that they had received complaints from Valentyne.
“A few years ago, Mrs Valentine shared some concerns, and then we took action to review. A lawsuit is also under way with the Canadian Commission on Human Rights. We have had mediation talks with her, reacted to the procedures and are waiting for the next steps to be determined, “the statement said.
They also said they would launch an external investigation into the alleged incidents and Derringer in the Morning would be paused pending the outcome of the investigation.
“In the last two days, we have received new information about concerns in the workplace. We referred them to our ethics and behavior team, “the company said.
In Valentine’s video, she says she was encouraged to remain silent about the alleged violence and that she did so until her physical health was at risk.
“Like so many women, I resigned myself and fell silent,” she said. “But there was one thing I just couldn’t stand: a company that was willing to put my physical health at risk.
She said she was forced to breathe vape smoke in nearby rooms for thousands of hours, lost her voice twice, and was eventually prescribed an inhaler and steroids.
Valentin said she had presented her concerns to senior management, but in the end nothing was done. She said she believed her decision to complain had led to her dismissal.
Many former colleagues expressed support for Valentine after she made the accusations.
Supria Duvedi, a former host of the morning show 640 in the morning on Global News from 2016 to 2020, told CTV News Toronto on Tuesday that she had witnessed Valentine visibly upset by Deringer incidents on several occasions.
“It’s always nice to see a friend and a former colleague stand up for each other,” Duvedi said when they called.
She also said it was “known” that employees had evaporated in the studio where Valentine works.
On Twitter, Duvedi said “all allegations from management or other senior media [people] that they had no idea it was BS. “
“We all knew what Jen was doing in this studio,” she wrote.
Also on Twitter, former John Deringer co-host Maureen Holloway wrote: “This is bold and true. I support Jennifer 100 percent. “
This is bold and true. I support Jennifer 100 percent.
– Maureen Holloway (@maureenholloway) May 21, 2022
Derringer in the Morning’s landing page on q107.com has been offline since Monday.
Valentine told CTV News Toronto that he would not take legal action against Corus Entertainment.
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