As Kelly Clarkson prepares to sign off after seven seasons of The Kelly Clarkson Show on Monday, August 31, she’s looking back on the unexpected role the daytime series played during one of the most difficult periods of her life.
In a candid farewell video released ahead of the series finale, Clarkson admitted the show became much more than a career milestone.
“Well, it was brought up to me with my ex and he was like, ‘Hey, NBC was talking about maybe doing a talk show with me,’ and I was, like, ‘OK, that’s the worst idea ever ‘cause I never shut up,’” she admitted.
“I think that saved me, honestly, a lot of times,” the Grammy winner said while reflecting on the past seven years.
“A lot has happened in my personal life,” Clarkson added.
She’s not exaggerating.
Since The Kelly Clarkson Show premiered in 2019, Clarkson has navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, her highly publicized divorce from Brandon Blackstock, a cross-country move to New York with her two children — River Rose, 12, and Remington, 10 — and, in 2025, the heartbreaking loss of Blackstock following a private battle with melanoma.
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Clarkson said having somewhere to go every day — and people to focus on besides herself— made all the difference during that chapter of her life.
The emotional admission is especially poignant because it was Blackstock who first encouraged her to consider hosting a daytime talk show.
Clarkson recalled initially thinking NBC’s pitch was “the worst idea ever.”
“I never shut up,” she joked, explaining why she wasn’t convinced she’d make a good daytime host.
But what began as a leap of faith became one of the most successful chapters of her career.
Premiering in September 2019, The Kelly Clarkson Show quickly became a daytime television favorite, earning multiple Daytime Emmy Awards while giving Clarkson the chance to interview—and often perform alongside—some of the biggest names in entertainment.
Earlier this year, Clarkson announced she had made the “difficult decision” to end the show after seven seasons so she could spend more time with her children, River Rose and Remington.
Looking back through a yearbook filled with memories from the show, Clarkson became emotional as she reflected on how much had changed since the series debuted.
“My kids have grown up on this show, too,” she said.
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