Longtime radio personality John Derringer is leaving his position as host of Q107’s “Derringer in the Morning” after 22 years amid an investigation into verbal abuse and gender discrimination in the workplace.
Q107, a Toronto rock station owned by Corus Entertainment, made the announcement Tuesday in a statement shared on their Twitter account.
“Q107 and John Derringer have agreed to part ways, effective today,” the statement said. “The independent investigation launched by Corus is ongoing.”
In May, Derringer’s former co-host, Jennifer Valentine, made allegations of workplace harassment in a 12-minute video shared on her social media channels.
Valentine did not name Derringer in the video, but did refer to an unnamed co-host. Derringer was put on “pause” days later.
In the video, Valentine asks, “What would you do if a co-worker yelled at you, belittled you, called you names, shut you down, made you cry, and then laughed when he told you to cry as much as you wanted?” That he didn’t feel sorry for you in the slightest and let you know with complete conviction that if you went to HR they would pick him?’
“Would you take a dream job as a radio host if you knew you’d be working with a co-host with a history of abusing women, and that you’d also be exposed to two, sometimes three, men steaming 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 following the allegations in May, Corus Entertainment confirmed they had received complaints from Valentyne.
“A few years ago Ms Valentine shared some concerns and we took action to review then. A process is also underway with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. We have held mediation talks with her, responded to the procedures and await the determination of the next steps,” the statement said.
They also said they would launch an external investigation into the alleged incidents. Derringer was put “on hiatus” days later.
The company says plans for the show will be made public.
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