For Kelly Clarksonthe choice was not to leave, but to make room for what mattered most. After months of speculation, the singer revealed on February 2 that she will be leaving her daytime talk show after its current seventh season. “This was not an easy decision,” she said in an emotional Instagram post. “Stepping away from the daily schedule will allow me to prioritize my children, which feels necessary and appropriate for this next chapter in our lives.” He added: “I want to thank you all for allowing our show to be a part of your lives.”
The decision marks a turning point for Clarkson, both professionally and personally. Since debuting her popular chat show in 2019, the star has balanced a demanding career with life as a mother to daughter River, 11, and son Remington, 9. Last summer brought an even more profound change: Clarkson’s ex-husband and the children’s father, Brandon Blackstock, he died at the age of 48 after three years of fighting cancer.
Now, the 43-year-old American Idol alum is looking ahead — putting her energy into family while focusing more on her first passion, music. (She will appears in season 29 of The Voicewhich opens Feb. 23.) According to a source, Clarkson is also slowly opening up to romance. “Kelly has been through so much in her life and she’s just moving forward,” the source shares. “A lot of that comes from her selfless nature. She has people who depend on her and she puts them first.”
Clarkson’s choice to end her talk show was a long time in the making. “Kelly didn’t realize the total consumption of the show,” says a second source. “It’s his whole life.” The source explains that Clarkson also didn’t foresee the show’s massive success or imagine it would last as long as it did. (The chatfest has won 24 Daytime Emmy Awards during its seven seasons, with Clarkson interviewing everyone from Hillary Clinton i Jill Biden a Viola Davis i i ryan.) “He was surprised,” the source adds. “The talk show turned into more than she initially expected and left her with little time for anything else.”
The Kelly Clarkson Show is coming to an end. Kelly Clarkson announced on Monday, February 2 that her Daytime Emmy-winning talk show will conclude after its seventh season, which is currently airing. “I’ve been very fortunate to work with such an exceptional group of people on The Kelly Clarkson Show, both in Los Angeles (…)
She is happiest making music. “Kelly asked herself, ‘Do I want to spend the rest of my life doing this?’ She wants to focus on the things she really enjoys,” shares the source. His bosses at NBC gave him a lot of freedom: he had his beloved Kellyoke segment The Kelly Clarkson Show (her covers of hit songs often went viral) and she started it Kelly Clarkson: Studio Sessions Las Vegas residence in July. Her plate is also full with her Kelly Clarkson Home line of furniture and decor. Notes the first source: “When (Kelly leaves the show), he can split his time between live performances and his merch deals and take a step back.”
Blackstock’s death was devastating for the entire family. Clarkson first opened up about her health issues in an Instagram post she shared the day before she died, when she postponed her Las Vegas residency. “Although I usually keep my personal life private, this past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this time, I have to be fully present for them,” she wrote. (He had been mysteriously absent from the show in late February and early March.) “It was a huge shock,” says the first source, adding that everyone is “doing as well as can be expected.” (Clarkson and Blackstock, her former music director, had an acrimonious split in 2020. In 2024, they settled a kickback and mismanagement lawsuit after she was ordered to repay $2.6 million.)
In a backstage Q&A in January, Clarkson gave fans a glimpse into life at home with River, Remy and their two dogs, revealing they had all slept together. “My kids, they’re 9 and 11 (and) kind of in that fun, special stage where they can wipe their behinds, but they’re still young enough to love each other and caress and wet each other,” she explained. “There’s been a lot going on for our family recently and so I’ve allowed my kids to sleep with me a little bit. It’s my two dogs, my two kids and me. It’s a lot. It’s been really special though.”
On February 1, Blackstock’s former stepmother, Reba McEntire — who was previously married to her music director father Narvel Blackstock he said Entertainment tonight that the rest of the family was “there” before his performance inmemoriam. (Blackstock was also father to daughter Savannah, 23, and son Seth, 18, from his first marriage.) “We miss Brandon so much,” McEntire said. “We all have a big text string that we keep together and talk about him and remember him.”
keep it real Kelly Clarkson shocked some when she filed for divorce from Brandon Blackstock on June 4, 2020, after nearly seven years of marriage. At the time, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that the former couple “struggled on so many levels and being in quarantine together (amidst the coronavirus pandemic) added to their problems (…)
Clarkson has a small inner circle that she keeps close. Including his mother, Jeanand sister alyssaa couple of childhood friends and some people he’s met in the music industry. “She’s very close with her sister and spends as much time with her as she can,” says the first source. Although the siblings are close today, they actually grew up apart after their parents split: Clarkson was raised in Texas with her mother, her sister with her aunt and uncle in North Carolina, and her brother, jasonin California with his father. They reconnected in 2001 and even lived on the same plot of land the singer bought after her American Idol win.
Despite her celebrity status, Clarkson isn’t big on the Hollywood party scene or high-profile events. “Kelly is a real man,” says the first source. “When he’s not working, which is rare, he likes to be at home, watch movies and hang out. That’s how he relaxes.”
Clarkson has not been in a public relationship since her split from Blackstock. “Dating can be really hard, and that’s why I don’t do it,” she told the crowd during a residency performance last July. “Add a spotlight, and it’s just a dumpster fire.” Now, the first source says the singer is open to finding love again. “Kelly would love to have a partner, and she will when the time is right,” shares the source. “She’s got a lot on her shoulders, and it gets overwhelming, and it’s nice to have someone to lean on. But I can’t imagine she’s bringing anyone into their lives right now.”
The entertainer is looking for a man who understands her hectic lifestyle and makes her laugh. “She needs some levity in her life,” says the source, adding that she is unlikely to remarry. “Kelly jokes that she never wanted to get married the first time,” says the source. “And she’s quite open about how her divorce affected her.” Speaking about her split from Blackstock on her talk show in 2020, Clarkson said the divorce “is horrible”, adding: “there are so many hard parts”. A few months earlier, he said it’s “the worst for everyone involved.”
Kelly Clarkson and her late ex-husband Brandon Blackstock’s private romance captivated fans for years until their split in 2020. The American Idol alum and the talent manager started dating in 2011 and things moved pretty quickly from then on. The couple announced their engagement in December 2012 and tied the knot less than a year later. Clarkson (…)
For now, Clarkson remains in New York after moving to the city from Los Angeles in 2023. “I’ve never really liked living in LA,” she said during an appearance in LA. today in 2023. “LA is beautiful, has so much to offer that is amazing. It’s never been my thing in 20 years, so I never wanted to live there in the first place.”
The second source says so we that the singer may be thinking of returning to Tennessee, where she lived before her divorce. “New York City was fun at first, but then it became stressful. Kelly prefers the quality of life she had in Nashville,” the source explains. “It’s a slower (lifestyle) where he can focus on his creative projects at his own pace.”
The first source notes that Clarkson is unlikely to make any major moves just yet. The family is “very happy with their life in New York” and Clarkson “wouldn’t want to make any more changes to their lives at this point. She’s taking it day by day.” (His talk show will end this fall.)
say goodbye The Kelly Clarkson Show it’s bittersweet “Everybody on the show loves her, and she loves everybody. It’s been very positive all around,” says the second source of the atmosphere behind the scenes. But she’s ready for what’s to come. “Kelly wants to work on other projects,” adds the source. “She looks better than ever, and her brand (is doing well). But she wants her music to be her legacy.”
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