U.S. President Donald Trump recently hosted several celebrities at the White House for dinner, with one of those guests being Bill Maher. Sometime later, POTUS took to social media and chastised Maher, who has joked about Trump on air on multiple ocassions. In the aftermath, Maher addressed the situation on the latest episode of his talk show (which is streamable with an HBO Max subscription). With that, the comedian dropped a joke relating to Kelly Clarkson.

Last weekend, President Trump shared his thoughts on Maher (and more topics) to Truth Social, and the post ended up including a total of 1,318 words. In the lengthy post, Trump refers to Maher as a “COMPLETE AND TOTAL LOSER” with “a Low Rated Show on equally Low Rated HBO” and capitalized those specific words as well. The President’s post came days after remarks Maher shared on Real Time days prior. The comic joked about Trump’s supposed focus on “men’s bodies” and mused that he himself was not complimented during dinner.

Amid the latest installment of Real Time – which aired on October 30th amid the 2026 TV schedule – Maher touched on several topics before shifting his focus to Trump’s viral post. The political humorist didn’t mince words when describing the aftermath of the post, and he not only name-dropped Clarkson but a certain pop star as well:

Bill Maher’s Taylor Swift comment seemingly references how the singer’s exes remain topics of discussion on social media even after they’ve dated. The Clarkson sentiment, however, refers to a situation that’s a bit more recent. Back in October, Clarkson posted about a negative experience she reportedly had at Art of Play, a novelty store located in Brooklyn. The singer claimed she was treated like Julia Roberts’ character from Pretty Woman when she attempted to buy a singing bird automaton.

However, the store’s management team – headed up by owner Adam Rubin – later claimed the bird was not for sale and was used for in-store events. However, Clarkson later responded to the claim by sharing a photo of the bird with a $15,000 price tag on it. Leaked security footage later revealed that Clarkson had a heated exchange with store employees. As it stands, Rubin and co. have been receiving hate on social media and have reportedly been seeking to reach out to Clarkson.

As of this writing, Kelly Clarkson has reportedly yet to touch base with the crew at Art of Play. On that note, Donald Trump has yet to respond to Maher’s latest comments regarding his post and their dinner at the White House. Whether he’ll choose to do so remains to be seen.

In the meantime, viewers can check out Real Time with Bill Maher, which airs on Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on HBO, and episodes can also be streamed later on HBO Max.

The saga involving Kelly Clarkson and Brooklyn-based novelty shop Art of Play has taken some interesting turns, as it’s played out in recent weeks. It all began when the singer entered the establishment and reportedly wanted to buy a singing bird automaton. Clarkson then took to social media to say that she was denied the chance to purchase the bird, though management later refuted that claim, saying the bird wasn’t for sale. That aside, though, it seems the bird’s original artist, Bliss Kolb, is now receiving a lot of requests.

Clarkson specifically wanted to buy an animatronic bird named Molly and was taken aback when she was allegedly treated as though she couldn’t afford it. While store owner Adam Rubin and co., said the bird was exclusively used at Art of Play for events, Clarkson responded by sharing a photo of the bird with a $15,000 price tag (which has been swapped to $15 million as a joke by the staff). The Wall Street Journal now reports Kolb has received roughly 100 commissions since Clarkson visited AoP on October 10.

What’s ironic is that this all comes at a time at which Kolb – who’s based in Seattle – had planned to cut down on the number of requests. However, he may be looking to create a few more of the singing automatons down the road. If that happens, the items could reportedly range between $4,000 and $15,000. Kolb seems to be taking the hype all in stride, however and, when she spoke to WSJ, she said she appreciated that Kelly Clarkson “liked” her work. This represents a more positive side of a story that’s seemingly had negative implications.

After Clarkson’s visit to Art of Play, security footage was obtained by Pablo Torre (who bought a second automaton) and provided a better look at how things went down. The “Breakaway” performer seemed displeased with her interactions with the store’s staff at the time. Clarkson subsequently asserted that she’d been treated like Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman and, since then, a number of fans and celebrities have come to her defense. Per reports, AoP has been feeling the effects of that support in a not-so-positive way.

Sources have alleged that since American Idol’s inaugural winner came to the shop, AoP has been lambasted by Clarkson fans. It’s also been said that amid the social media “hatred,” Adam Rubin has reportedly been trying to get in touch with Clarkson to talk things out. At the same time, some locals have been defending the store and have been met with backlash on social media as well.

Those within Clarkson’s inner circle claim she’s “happy” amid the blowback and “doesn’t think she did anything wrong.” On top of that, it’s been claimed that Clarkson is “living in a bubble of applause” because no one is apparently disputing the notion of her having done anything incorrect. Still, other insiders claim people close to Clarkson are surprised by how this situation has escalated.

It’s fair to say Bliss Kolb finds herself in a very interesting position, given that her work is at the center of this back-and-forth between Kelly Clarkson and Art of Play. Whether Kolb will actually produce more of those bird automatons is unclear, but it seems she stands to make a sizable amount of money if she can fulfill some requests.

As the saga of Kelly Clarkson, a small business and a bird continues, a post from Brooklyn shop Art of Play has resurfaced that is quite apropos in hindsight. The feud in question was partially about whether or not an automaton bird was for sale or not for sale when Ms. Clarkson entered the store, and Molly (the bird in question) was actually used in a Not For Sale post weeks prior to the incident. You can't make this stuff up.

To recap, the “Since U Been Gone” singer seemingly inquired about buying a $15,000 automaton bird named Molly from the novelty store in question. She later went online to say she did not appreciate it when a seller claimed the item was not for sale and tried to get her to buy a comparable (but cheaper) bird (which Pablo Torre ultimately bought). The situation escalated with both parties taking sides, and speaking online about the incident.

If you've been paying attention, Clarkson and this store have been in quite the feud over the semantics of what happened and what didn't. However, weeks before all this began, Art of Play posted on Instagram about what is not for sale in their shop, and just take a look at the item featured in the first image:

As you can see, that appears to be Molly, the pricey bird that’s fastened to the wall in Art of Play. People who saw the post clocked it too, commenting things like:

It seems to be! In the following slides, the carousel highlights “a few of our favorites that aren’t” for sale. Notably, the “items” are intangible things you literally can’t buy. They’re actions like “solving a puzzle,” “peering into infinity,” “discovering the unexpected.” Overall, this was done in preparation for Labor Day and to highlight the fact the store has stopped having sales. In the last slide, all this is explained:

So, yeah, it's about Labor Day, which means it went up several weeks before the Daytime TV host entered the store. The story was also pinned to the store's Instagram, and the timeliness of the bird being tied to the idea of "not for sale" ahead of the incident between Kelly Clarkson, Art of Play, and its semi-famous owner Adam Rubin, is hard to deny.

That’s especially true since this whole situation continues playing out, and conversations about how the “hatred continues” between the two parties are still happening. Reba McEntire even got looped into it. Plus, it’s been reported that this brouhaha is impacting the neighbors of the Art of Play who supported the Brooklyn-based store.

Considering this whole situation surrounding Molly the bird, it is notable that Art of Play seemingly used the automaton to promote things one can’t buy in their store long before Clarkson wanted to buy the item. Though it's worth noting Molly is back for sale-- now for the whopping price of $15 million dollars.

If you’ve ever wondered what goes on in the makeup trailer during the making of a TV series, I can now confirm it’s a lot of hot gossip. In fact, Reba McEntire recently admitted she got looped in to her former daughter-in-law’s Brooklyn Bird fiasco and the aftermath recently while she was getting ready for a day on the set of Happy’s Place. Surprising? Yes.

How the event unfolded was this. Reba was sitting with her co-star Melissa Peterman in the makeup trailer. It was Melissa who casually dropped the news, and Peterman told E! that it must have gone viral beyond viral because she has been so busy filming Season 3 of their sitcom she’s basically been fully offline. Yet, still the bird story persisted. Per Peterman:

Well, yeah, I got up at 4 a.m. to watch tons of footage of Kelly Clarkson on security footage of the incident. Even as a journalist this isn’t something I’m willing to do on the regular, but the story was fascinating, and not only because it was coming from the generally relatable Kelly Clarkson. The setting, the circumstances, and the key players – which also included a famous children’s book author – were just so strange.

If you’ve been following the brouhaha between The Voice coach and the Brooklyn Store Art of Play that allegedly gave her bad service, you may already know that Reba was among the celebrities to support Clarkson after her viral posts.

Kelly Clarkson’s initial post about the incident described the Pretty Woman treatment she allegedly received in the store when she visited earlier this month. She posted about the interactions she had in store on Instagram and X, and Reba commented, “Oh Kelly their loss honey.”

She wasn’t the only one. While opinion has been divided on the whole about whether or not it was justifiable for Kelly Clarkson to out a small business on the Internet, several celebrities were on her side, including McEntire, Jennifer Hudson and Ruby Rose. Some insiders have alleged this has put Clarkson in a “bubble of applause” related to her behavior, though she also has plenty of defenders online.

For context, the two singers share a relatively close relationship. They’ve worked together on The Voice, they were friends for a long time before Clarkson ever married, and they later became family. Reba used to be married to Narvel Blackstock, the father of the late Brandon Blackstock. Brandon Blackstock was married to Kelly Clarkson between 2013 and 2022, when they divorced. He later died after a battle fighting melanoma.

Technically, Clarkson and McEntire are no longer family. However, bonds don’t necessarily go away just because divorces happen, and it’s not a huge shock the former mother-in-law might support the singer during her feud, even if the place she found out about the incident was very unexpected.

What this does really make me wonder about? What other gossip is getting thrown out in the makeup trailer for Happy’s Place.

Kelly Clarkson has been making headlines as of late and not because of her singing career or her role as a judge on The Voice. Earlier this month, Clarkson publicly criticized Brooklyn-based novelty store Art of Play after management allegedly denied her the opportunity to purchase a mechanical, singing bird. The owner – children’s author Adam Rubin – has since disputed Clarkson’s account of events. Rubin’s shop has received backlash online and, while locals are defending the store, they’re being impacted as well.

Apparently, some of Art of Play’s neighbors are receiving blowback for openly speaking out in support of the store amid the situation with Clarkson. One of the people to speak out in favor of the establishment is Brad Thomas Parsons, who reportedly talked up the store in a post shared to his Instagram story this past weekend. According to The New York Times, Parsons was swiftly met with criticism due to his remarks and, when he spoke to the news outlet, he shared some of the negative comments he’d been faced with:

Parsons apparently wasn’t all that fazed by the first round of critiques to come his way. However, that apparently changed when someone shared a photo of his cat, Enzo, and shared their hope that the feline would succumb to cancer. Parsons added:

Clarkson’s beef with Art of Play specifically revolves around the bird automaton Molly, which she reportedly wanted to purchase. The Grammy winner alleged that she was treated disrespectfully when she visited the store and subsequently released video footage also showed Clarkson looking unhappy while talking to staff. Rubin later spoke out and claimed Clarkson was told Molly was not for sale due to the bird being used for events at the store. Yet Clarkson later claimed that account was false and shared a photo of Molly with a $15,000 price tag attached.

Insiders have since dropped claims regarding how the “Where Have You Been” singer is feeling in the midst of the conflict. Per those sources, Clarkson is in a “bubble of applause,” due to having received support from her fans as well as some fellow celebrities. It’s also been alleged, however, that some in Clarkson’s camp are surprised by just how much this situation has escalated.

On the other side of the issue, Rubin and co. aren’t reportedly just dealing with online blowback. It’s been reported that they’ve also been trying to contact Clarkson to have a dialogue and have purportedly attempted to do so through “multiple channels.” However, those efforts have supposedly been unsuccessful as “the hatred continues” across social media.

As of this writing, neither Kelly Clarkson nor Adam Rubin have participated in any formal interviews to lay out their respective sides of the story. There’s currently no clear answer in regards to how this situation might be resolved. In the meantime, though, we can only wait and see how all parties involved – including the neighbors caught up in the middle – will continue to navigate this.

Things have been quieter on the automaton bird front in recent days. The investigative journalism has been done, the fans have weighed in on either side, and Molly the bird has had her price upped from $15,000 to $15 million. (This honestly still could be afforded by Kelly Clarkson, who reportedly earns $14 million per season each time she does The Voice.) While feathers doubtless remain ruffled on both sides, an insider came out of the woodwork to talk about the daytime host’s response, and how her celebrity pals really factored in.

An insider spoke to popular scooper Rob Shuter this week about Birdgate, aka Ms. Clarkson’s claims she was treated like a Pretty Woman character after entering a Brooklyn store and inquiring about an automaton bird bracketed into the wall. Apparently, Ms. Clarkson is uninterested in apologizing after the incident, per the new report.

The insider went on to speak about the outsized response the singer has gotten from her fans, which range wildly from daytime viewers, to The Voice fans, and people who love her music. When her viral tweets and Instagram posts broke, some of her Voice co-workers sent support, including her former step mother-in-law Reba McEntire, who wrote, “Oh Kelly their loss honey.” Per the insider:

There is some difference between the faction defending the generally relatable Kelly Clarkson and the other faction calling her out for the attempted takedown of a small business, and the insider said this is doubtless due to their still being differences in how the singer thinks she “stood up for herself” while her critics thinks she’s a “millionaire” taking shots at an entity with less resources and power.

To be clear, I don’t think the small business Art of Play was ever looking for an apology. Owner (and popular children’s book author) Adam Rubin said late last week that he would invite Kelly Clarkson back to their store to see what it is all about. He called what happened a “misunderstanding” basically of epic proportions. Despite reach outs, the store reportedly hasn’t heard back.

So, with no apology on the horizon, all that’s left is for Pablo Torre to auction off that comparable bird automaton he purchased while in the store and doing his own investigation.

The past week has seen Kelly Clarkson engaged in a back-and-forth with the proprietors of a Brooklyn-based store she explored earlier this month. Clarkson took to social media last weekend to share that she’d visited the shop – later identified as Art of Play – and alleged that she was looked at as someone who couldn’t afford a bird-related trinket. Management later refuted the Voice coach’s claims and, at this point, it’s alleged that there’s still bad blood. However, that apparently hasn’t stopped the store from reaching out to Clarkson.

Art of Play has apparently made several attempts to make direct contact with Clarkson in the aftermath of her visit to the establishment. Page Six’s source didn’t give an exact reason for the shop wanting to reach her but, from the outside looking in, it would appear that the store’s management team wants to clear the air. Nevertheless, the insider had this to say about the attempts:

One key item at the center of this dispute is Molly, a mechanical, singing bird that Clarkson reportedly expressed interest in while visiting the shop, which specializes in games and novelty items. After the “Since U Been Gone” singer posted about allegedly “being treated like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman,” the owner of the store claimed that Molly was involved and that the item was a part of the store that wasn’t for sale. Clarkson later disputed that claim, saying that she was told Molly cost $15,000. Additionally, the Grammy winner shared a photo of the bird that included a price tag.

AoP is actually owned by Adam Rubin, an established author who’s written a number of children’s books. While the songstress may still not be happy with Rubin and co., the general public’s relationship with the place is reportedly a different story. Page Six’s insider also said there had been a considerable amount of support from within the community amid the Clarkson controversy. The unnamed individual described that like this:

Since the situation went down, security footage of Clarkson’s visit to the star has gone public, courtesy of investigative journalist Pablo Torre. The footage shows Clarkson looking around the store, and portions of it also showing her looking displeased. Interestingly, there’s also a point in which the shopkeeper apparently pointed her in the direction of another bird automaton that reportedly cost $2,000. Torre actually bought that second bird himself in order to support The Kyra Fund, which is an organization combating glioblastoma.

Right now, Kelly Clarkson fans continue to criticize Art of Play on social media amid the reported support from those who frequent the store. Adam Rubin has since chastised Clarkson for using his status as a celebrity to do harm to their business. Simultaneously, it’s been alleged that people in Clarkson’s orbit are surprised by how this situation has escalated. The singer’s team has not responded to inquiries from Page Six on the matter, as of this writing.

Pablo Torre leaving ESPN was maybe the best thing that ever happened to the man. He’s got a Pulitzer now, so he’s a serious journalism guy. Much to my surprise though, this week he dove straight into the Molly the bird Kelly Clarkson controversy. Clarkson moved to New York a few years ago, and this week she went on a social media rant about a Brooklyn-based store that allegedly gave her the “Pretty Woman” treatment. After the tweets went viral, Torre's curiosity was piqued, and he ended up nabbing security footage from the incident.

Then, he became a part of the story itself.

Why Did Pablo Torre Buy The Automaton Kelly Clarkson Rejected?

I spent 4 a.m. the other day watching Torre’s interview in full, and while most of its focus is on the Kelly Clarkson footage from the Art of Play shop, he does mention in the video that he actually bought the $2,000 automaton that was adjacent to the controversy.

The gist is that Clarkson wanted to purchase a $15,000 automaton named Molly that maybe or maybe did not have the price tag listed, but became upset when a shopkeeper tried to push her toward a second, comparable bird automaton. We don’t know exactly what went down with the verbal exchange, but the second automaton is the still-expensive $2,000 bird Torre ended up buying.

He ultimately did it to support a charity for a friend, telling THR he did it “in honor” of The Kyra Fund, an organization seeking to fighting glioblastoma.

He did this for David Samson, a personality who has popped up in another of his audio series and whose daughter died from the disease. And he did it because one of the things that made him so curious was the fact Ms. Clarkson seemed deeply uninterested in this other bird, which made him want to explore the story more. He ended up buying the bird as part of this, noting:

At the time of this writing, the auction titled "Kelly Clarkson Turned Her Back on These Singing Mechanical Birds at Art of Play. Now You Can Buy Them for a Good Cause" currently has raised $5,200.

Why Was Pablo Torre Even Involved In The Kelly Clarkson Bird Controversy?

If you know Torre, you should probably know that a lot of what he covers is in the realm of sports. However, he does cover some in-the-moment pop culture stuff, and he also lives in New York City, where the Clarkson incident happened. He also told the outlet why he ultimately got invested in this story around the same time the rest of the Internet did.

Kelly Clarkson is typically known for being a relatable human, and one would have to guess there was some misunderstanding or tone that led to her reaction on social media. However, as a public figure there’s a question of mindfulness surrounding how the Internet was going to respond to her taking a small business to task. Those who know her were even surprised about what happened. Plus, the shop’s owner, who happens to also be a children’s book author, has spoken out about his small business Art Of Play getting doxed and more.

Hopefully, attention will die down in the next few days, but with public figures like Pablo Torre weighing in, I would certainly say interest in this subject has lingered.

I don’t know how the story of a usually very relatable celebrity like Kelly Clarkson having a moment after being denied a mechanical bird went so viral, although now that I’ve typed that sentence out I’m kind of seeing it. It’s the sort of outlandish premise that might come up during the episode of a sitcom, but for Ms. Clarkson and for the owners of the store Art of Play, it’s been real life this week. In fact, there’s been a lot of attention on the shop’s owner, who has done press after Clarkson stormed out of his Brooklyn-based shop, and it turns out, he’s actually kind of famous himself.

Not famous like Kelly Clarkson is famous, of course. Kelly Clarkson is so famous she’s said her kids’ friends refer to her by first and last name, a weird quirk that Kylie Kelce also said she had to break her own kids out of when Taylor Swift started dating Travis. Regardless, he’s famous in a little corner of the world where parents have read their kids Dragons Love Tacos, among other fictional titles.

Who Is The Art Of Play Store Owner?

I just learned one of the store owners of Art of Play is Adam Rubin, the author of a dozen or so children’s books. He’s been publishing since 2008, but the book I know is the aforementioned Dragons Love Tacos, which was published in 2012. Sequels were spawned and many a youngster still has one of Rubin's books on their shelves.

I was actually tipped off to this hot fact by a friend of mine. I live in St Louis, and Rubin went to Washington University here, so people know of him. He now lives in Brooklyn, where he co-owns Art of Play with magician co-owners Dan and Dave Buck.

Obviously, being a children’s book author is not the same thing as being a famous pop singer, former daytime television host and American Idol winner. Even if you were someone like the late Eric Carle I think you have a bit more anonymity (in general) than Kelly Clarkson does when she’s out and about. Maybe J.K. Rowling is spotted out in the wild a bit more often, but it wouldn’t be weird if you, like me, had no real knowledge of who Rubin was before his face started being splashed all over the Internet.

He’s been defending his store in the aftermath of Clarkson seemingly getting upset after she didn’t receive celebrity treatment (or allegedly even normal human treatment) at Art of Play during an incident over the weekend. She went to Instagram and Twitter to complain, and her legion of followers reportedly began doxing the shop, its neighbors and more. Influencers started showing up at Art of Play and questioning Rubin. Chaos really ensued in the aftermath, and even those close to her were surprised about what happened.

As long as no more back-and-forth happens between Clarkson and the store, this will doubtless die down in a few days, but it does go to show you how quickly one spark on the Internet can work its way into dinner conversation, coffee house conversations and even casual sideline sports game conversations. The Internet is a lot tamer in some ways than it used to be, but it’s still the Wild West.

Up until this week, most of the news related to Kelly Clarkson has been questions about what she'll do after ending her daytime TV series. That is until the singer chose to take to social media to put a Brooklyn small business on blast. The back-and-forth between the shop and The Voice star then went viral. People close to the singer were even surprised about the brouhaha. It's been a week.

This morning, I was awoken by the sound of hard-hitting rain on my rooftop at 4 a.m. and obviously couldn’t go back to sleep. So, I started doomscrolling, when to my wonder, the footage of Kelly Clarkson in the Brooklyn curio shop Art of Play found its way into my life. I spent the hour watching clips of the usually relatable Kelly Clarkson getting agitated in the store in question and storming out, but not before returning items she’d picked up seemingly to purchase on their shelves.

She looked mad.

To be clear, the credit for landing the tapes goes to former ESPN reporter Pablo Torre, who is known for analyzing this sort of thing on "Pablo Torre Finds Out," just more typically on the sports side of things.

I’d seen the owner of the shop mention having security footage in place yesterday, so I doubt Torre would have been the only person the footage might have been shown to, but he did the leg work, and if you’d like to watch the full rundown video, it’s below.

It’s a lot, and we don’t all have time to watch a multi-minute analysis of a celebrity having an interaction that was maybe or maybe not the most pleasant, and then storming out of the business and tweeting to the world about it.

Here are the highlights.

• Ms. Clarkson spends over six minutes in the Art of Play store. She is not dressed like a character in Pretty Woman and, in fact, blends in with the rest of the Brooklyn crowd. She is not asked to leave.
• The singer initially seems very excited about purchasing a kaleidoscope, among other potential items. This becomes important later.
• After picking up the kaleidoscope, an inquiry over the bird Molly, which is a fixture in the shop and attached to the wall, does not seem to go very well.
• You can see the shopkeeper point Kelly Clarkson to the back of the store, where a $2,000 comparable bird creation is displayed. She initially does walk to the back of the store.
• Shortly thereafter, an agitated Kelly Clarkson then puts back all of the items from the Art of Play store and attempts to storm out, having a terse exchange with a second employee on the way.
• In the doorway, she gesticulates a lot and her body language does not seem happy. Two people paying at the register seem very uncomfortable.

The footage ends, and a second camera catches Clarkson right outside of the shop and already furiously typing on her phone. It seems clear given context clues she was unhappy about what happened inside the shop. We can’t hear the actual conversations she had, but even if the exchanges went poorly, Torre and co. also noted several things about the incident we can infer.

The first is that Kelly Clarkson was not shamed for how she looked in a Pretty Woman-type incident. She was welcomed in the shop, dressed similarly to other customers, and spent six minutes inside. She also has a large social media following and you could argue she should have understood the consequences of what would happen if she called the store out by name. She clearly wasn't happy about how the interaction went down or what was said, but one of the weird side effects of being famous is she certainly is in more of a position of power than a small business. What’s next? Chaos ensued.

Owner Adam Rubin talked to USA Today and various other outlets and social media several times yesterday to make his feelings clear after the shop, its employees and more started dealing with a deluge of Internet hatred. While he said Ms. Clarkson would be welcomed back into the store, he shared what has been happening to his staff and neighbors after her review calling them out by name went viral.

Rubin did try to put a bit of a bow on the whole thing, and invited the star back to look around and see one of the shows the shop is known for putting on. Though he did say it’s a pretty common tact to show customers comparable items in the store. He also wanted to clarify he feels the misunderstanding is “insane," and that "nothing happened" on the level to "justify" the singer "scolding" his shopkeeper -- and especially not what happened next.

There's been a lot of discourse on the incident, but the Torre video does go a long way to illuminate more about what we didn't see when it came to Clarkson's initial tweet and Instagram posts.

Spoiler alert! This story discusses the first two nights of The Battles on The Voice Season 30, which aired October 12 and 13. Episodes are available to stream the day after they air with a Peacock subscription.

Things are really heating up on NBC’s long-running singing competition The Voice, as Season 30 continues to air on the 2026 TV schedule. While Queen Latifah and Riley Green may be the newbies this time around, they’re certainly not acting like it as their teams are dominating The Battles. However, don’t count out veteran coaches Adam Levine, who won Season 29 with Alexia Jayy, and Kelly Clarkson because their teams also rose to the occasion in this surprising set of episodes.

While things got off to a strong start on Monday, the cliffhanger ending was what really stuck with me. However, after tonight's episode, I'm even more shocked about a different revelation.

Riley Green Got A Second Chance With A The Voice Contestant That Previously Got Away

The first night of The Battles was truly one of the best I can remember in the history of The Voice. The talent was of such a high level that it didn’t feel like there were clear and obvious choices with any of the duets. It was also surprising that the coaches weren’t using their saves to keep any of the eliminated singers in the competition.

That is, until the final performance of “Girl Crush” by Little Big Town, when the American Idol winner got to face off with the Marshals guest star to get a second chance to work with Kayleigh Matthews after the country singer surprisingly picked Team Queen during the Blind Auditions.

When Kayleigh first appeared, Riley Green pulled out all the stops, even making the Maroon 5 singer sit in a straw hut known as a duck blind. However, the shenanigans between the two prompted her to avoid them both entirely and instead pick Queen Latifah as her coach.

So, when the Chicago star gave the win to Lillie Kolich, Kelly and Riley decided to go head-to-head to fight for the artist who had previously slipped through both of their fingers. To build anticipation, the reveal of Kayleigh’s new coach was held until Tuesday’s episode.

Night 2 of The Battles immediately jumped right back into that cliffhanger ending. While Kelly Clarkson declared the duo’s cover of “Girl Crush” to be her favorite ever, Kayleigh ultimately made the decision to take her love for country music over to Team Riley. I’m excited to see what they’ll do together moving forward.

However, that wasn't the biggest surprise of the night.

Two The Voice Singers Learned Just How Much They Have In Common

Originally, 19-year-old Marcus Ladden Jr. and 30-year-old Chari weren't even paired together until Queen Latifah decided to switch things up. And thank goodness that last-minute switch happened, because these two artists share something very important. The duo who sang “On My Own" learned that not only did they graduate from the same high school, 10 years apart, but they also had the same music/piano teacher who mentored them both, truly making them the perfect duo to lift each other up.

That’s exactly what they did, too. Watching Chari and Marcus share their talent was a gift, and while Chari might have been more technically skilled because she’s been singing longer, Marcus was so good that Kelly just couldn’t let him slip away and decided to use her steal.

All around, this thrilling set of episodes kept me on the edge of my seat and provided surprises that warmed my heart.

Now, the live shows are on the horizon, but the Season 30 winner of The Voice won’t be announced until December. With the level of talent, I have no idea who’s going to be the last singer standing. Beyond that, the competition series will be shaking things up with Season 31’s The Voice: Celebrity, and I’m definitely curious to see how that will play out. However, for now, I'll be here, thinking about these surprises and how this season of The Voice could shake out.

Kelly Clarkson is not a person who is known for getting involved in a lot of public beef. In fact, when her show ended, she summed it up with one word "pivot." So, when she got into a fight with a Brooklyn small business over a pricy bird, it didn’t feel on brand for the singer. Those close to her are even surprised at how the incident with Art of Play escalated.

Insiders spoke out in a couple of ways this week, noting this type of behavior from Clarkson is rather unusual. Most of us are familiar with the celebrity we see on television, a woman who keeps it real, and who generally seems to be pretty down to Earth. Her friends say that’s her real persona, and this social media moment is the outlier, with one telling People.

In a separate interview with Page Six, an insider said something similar about Clarkson's general approach to life and personality.

Per both reports, what happened this week is out of character for the singer.

Many people have been following this story over the last couple of days due to the very public nature of how it has played out. First, Kelly Clarkson posted about her shopping experience in Brooklyn. She did this on multiple platforms including X (Twitter) and Instagram, and she named the store in her post. She said the store in question, Art of Play, treated her like she was in that Pretty Woman scene when Julia Roberts wore a $20 dress and didn't look nice enough to shop in expensive stores, writing, ‘But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts' character in Pretty Woman.”

After being blasted so publicly, Art of Play gave their version of events, but didn’t apologize, explaining they’d told Ms. Clarkson the item she wanted was not actually for sale at the time of the incident. The former daytime host then doubled down, saying Art of Play was lying about what happened, and stating the item was for sale at the time.

She allegedly even had a whole conversation with the employee about it. Here’s the Tweet:

If you’re reading this story, you are probably caught up on all the tea, and at the time of this writing Art of Play has not doubled down or re-responded. Clearly, there was some sort of miscommunication between Kelly Clarkson and the employee working at Art of Play.

Internet opinion has been divided about the response. I don’t think anyone would prefer to be talked down to or treated like they can’t shop in a store, and given Ms. Clarkson is extremely famous at this point, this type of experience probably doesn't really occur on the regular. So I’m sure whatever happened felt uncomfortable and weird.

Still, Ms. Clarkson also has a lot more cultural clout and power than a small Brooklyn business, and some feel she could have either taken up the incident privately or simply not named the store. Coloring all of this is the fact we don’t know exactly what happened. We can only hedge based on what the pop singer and the store are saying, and what both are saying is the exact opposite of one another.

Sometimes to err is human, and in this situation perhaps there are no winners. But I do hope Kelly Clarkson is able to go elsewhere to buy the mechanical bird she can so clearly afford.

Spoiler alert! This story discusses the fifth night of Blind Auditions on The Voice Season 30, which aired October 5. Episodes are available to stream the next day with a Peacock subscription.

Every time there’s a cast change on any TV series, you never know how that will shake things up. Sure, NBC’s long-running singing competition The Voice, currently airing Season 30 on the 2026 TV schedule, has done that a lot over the years. Still, you just never know what the chemistry will be, especially when the banter among the judges plays such a crucial role.

Yes, Queen Latifah and Riley Green may be the rookies this season, but that’s not stopping them from getting in on the shenanigans that often occur as the singing legends compete to fill up their teams. Not only are they holding their own against veteran coaches Adam Levine, who won Season 29 with Alexia Jayy, and Kelly Clarkson, but they are racking up memorable moments that will surely continue to be talked about.

The Voice's Kelly Clarkson Put Together A Survival Kit For Riley Green, While He Pranked Adam Levine

Isn’t Kelly Clarkson the sweetest, most thoughtful coach, just trying to help out a Voice newbie? After missing out on some top-notch singers for his team while sitting in his customized Big Red Chair, Riley Green had a chat with the American Idol winner as she gifted him with a survival kit to help him get over losing.

Her little case included a "surrender white flag" to wave when the country singer knows he’s about to lose. Additionally, there were tissues for tears, a compact mirror to give himself a pep talk, and a jar of nuts to help him perk back up. Not one to miss out on an opportunity for a surprise, Clarkson made sure the jar also doubled as a prank when Green opened it. The entire exchange made me laugh and want to see more of the two together.

Unwilling to be outshined, the Marshals guest star had some fun of his own with veteran judge Adam Levine. After Kayleigh Mathews got a four-chair turn for singing the Vince Gill tune “When I Call Your Name,” the Maroon 5 frontman declared he would fight to get her to join his team. That prompted Riley Green to pull out the duck call and make Levine sit in a straw hut that’s apparently known as a “duck blind.” The shenanigans were so silly that the two guys canceled each other out of the fight, and Kayleigh surprised everyone by picking Queen Latifah to be her coach.

Honestly, I think the singer made a great choice in going with someone so well-rounded who also loves country music.

I Got Emotional With One Contestant's Song That Got Kelly Clarkson's Attention

While there have been some great singers in Season 30, the best performance of Episode 5 of the Blind Auditions has to go to Nina Howland, who took on the Bonnie Raitt track “Love Me Like A Man.” With a swagger and strut that physically embodied the lyrics while her vocals soared, she got the audience going, the judges’ chairs turning, and me wanting to stand up and cheer from home. Kelly Clarkson not only turned first, but was so excited to jump in with her pitch that she ended up getting bleeped for cursing!

Nina showed up for her audition knowing that if she delivered with Clarkson's favorite Raitt tune she could get her idol's attention. It was a special, moving moment that made me emotional because, while most contestants are just hoping for at least one chair turn to get on the show, this singer came in with a plan that she executed perfectly. I moments like these, I'm reminded that sometimes the biggest dreams really can come true.

With only one episode of Blinds left for this season of The Voice, the Battles are just around the corner, and I do not envy the judges for having to pair the talent against each other so they can start eliminating. And while the winner won’t be announced until December, we already know that the competition series will be shaking things up with Season 31’s The Voice: Celebrity. I will definitely be turning in for it all, and I just hope the shenanigans and pranks never stop.

Aside from her insane vocal talents, Kelly Clarkson is known for being relatable. Fans first fell in love with her in American Idol (which is streaming with a Hulu subscription), but especially got to know her during her tenure hosting The Kelly Clarkson Show. Bowen Yang recently gave her some advice that would have "saved" her life as a talk show host, and her reaction was incredible.

Fans were bummed when Clarkson announced she was leaving her talk show after seven seasons, but it was understandable given her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock died and she's now a single parent. The "Stronger" singer recently appeared on the acclaimed Las Culturistas podcast, where host Bowen Yang shared how he watches and listens to content at 1.5 or even double speed in order to consume it faster. Kelly's mind was blown, and she responded by saying:

Ouch. Clarkson spent years interviewing guests on her talk show, which meant that she often had to do research about whatever project they might be promoting. That includes books, movies, and TV shows. Her process of preparing would have been much quicker if she knew that it was possible to listen and watch things at double speed. Unfortunately, she didn't learn about this feature until after The Kelly Clarkson Show's series finale aired. Talk about some serious FOMO.

The above quote comes from her second time on Las Culturistas, and you can tell that Clarkson feels comfortable with hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers. They both appeared on her talk show during its run on TV, but unfortunately didn't fill her in on how to do prep in half the time.

You can see this moment below, courtesy of Las Culturistas' official Instagram. Kelly's reaction is priceless, as is her F-bomb. Check it out:

While Clarkson admits that this revelation would have saved her a ton of time on interview prep for her talk show, maybe it's best that she didn't know about it. After all, whatever process she had going on for The Kelly Clarkson Show worked and had viewers charmed for a whopping seven seasons on NBC (and streaming with a Peacock subscription).

Kelly might have left her talk show, but luckily she's still going to be on our television screens. She's currently serving as one of the coaches on The Voice, alongside Adam Levine, Queen Latifah and Riley Green. We'll just have to see if she manages to take home a win.

Last Culturistas releases new episodes Wednesdays on all podcasting platforms. As for The Voice, episodes air Mondays as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Although I don't recommend watching that show in double time; vocals sound very different when sped up.

The Voice is celebrating a big milestone on the 2026 TV schedule. NBC's long-running singing competition series is officially in its 30^th season, and the network is pulling out all the stops. Adam Levine and Blake Shelton have reignited their bromance during the three-night season premiere, which kicked off on Monday. It’s hard to believe that the show is celebrating 30 seasons, and Levine had no clue the show would be the "juggernaut" it is today. Yet fellow coach Kelly Clarkson understands the success, and I love that.

Whenever a show starts out, it's hard to say how it’s going to go, as it can either be a success or a bust. So it’s not surprising to know that Levine, who had been a coach on the first 16 seasons before returning for Season 27 and again for Seasons 29 and 30, wasn’t sure where The Voice would go. The Maroon 5 frontman recalled to People how “there was no show” when Voice was still new, explaining that no one had any idea just how big it would go on to be:

It may seem wild to say this now, but The Voice -- which debuted in 2011 -- was something of a risk for Levine. Not only was it a new show but, at the time, the singer-songwriter himself didn't have much experience with the reality competition genre, aside from his brief stint on Canadian Idol. Levine also recalled:

I definitely see where Levine is coming from. While there were a handful of singing and talent competition shows on TV, The Voice marked a new format. And, of course, the genre -- in general -- can be fickle. No one knows that better than Clarkson. She won the very first season of American Idol back in 2002 and, at that time, no one knew how long the series would go. Now, she’s one of the most famous Idol contestants from its various season, and it’s all because the show took risks and, like The Voice, turned into quite the phenomenon. Clarkson shared:

It’s pretty insane thinking about the beginnings of American Idol and The Voice, knowing that these two shows have become such hits and have had quite an impact on audiences. As Voice heads into Season 30, Idol is starting its 25^th season, and both series show no signs of slowing down.

I, for one, am grateful that fans took a chance on The Voice, and that Levine was more than willing to give it a shot, despite not knowing what could happen. Of course, it could have gone one of two ways, and I’m glad that it went in the positive direction. Levine also still can’t wrap his head around it:

As The Voice Season 30 gets started, Season 31 is already being prepped. The upcoming season, set to premiere during midseason 2027, will be taking on a new format. Hosted by Keke Palmer and not longtime host Carson Daly, Season 31 will be a celebrity edition, with a whole variety of famous faces seeing if they have what it takes to be the next winner. Needless to say, even after all this time, the show's producers are still taking risks and keeping Levine, Clarkson and co. on their toes.

Fans will be able to tune in to the milestone 30^th season of The Voice as the three-night premiere continues on Tuesday and Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription. New episodes will subsequently premiere on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.

Spoiler alert! This story discusses a couple of artists from The Voice season premiere, which aired Monday, September 21. Episodes are available to stream next day with a Peacock subscription.

The Voice Season 30 is underway, and as the first of the three-night premiere aired on the 2026 TV schedule, we all got our first real look at what Queen Latifah and Riley Green are like as coaches. Let’s just say they came to play. Both showed impressive skills when it came to attracting artists, and Kelly Clarkson was so intimidated that she actually offered her hair to one of the contestants.

Kelly Clarkson may have been talking trash ahead of the Season 30 premiere, but she seemed pretty intimated by the new Voice coaches on Monday. Why do I say that? Well, when the American Idol champ was up against Riley Green for 21-year-old Hazel Gerson, Clarkson was literally willing to pull out all the stops to get her on Team Kelly. And by “stops,” I mean “hair extensions.” This is how that conversation went:

• Kelly Clarkson: When I was watching you, I was like, ‘Just let it out.’ I just want that lion in there.
• Hazel Gerson: I love that. Also, the long hair looks really beautiful, by the way.
• Kelly Clarkson: Thank you. I’ll give it to you! It’s clipped in. Do you like it? You can have it. I will share! Don’t you want a coach that will share with you?

Queen Latifah muttered that Kelly Clarkson had gone beyond sharing. Adam Levine marveled that a coach offering hair was something he’d “never seen, ever before.” And as for Hazel Gerson, she politely declined the hair. She did, however, join Team Kelly, so the coach felt vindicated, saying:

So, that’s quite a bar that Kelly Clarkson has set for this milestone season — which is saying something, since we’ve already seen a reunion between Blake Shelton and Adam Levine and had Carson Daly admit that he tried to keep Shelton and Gwen Stefani apart when they started dating on the show.

Queen Latifah And Riley Green Made It Look Easy On Their Premiere Night

The new Voice coaches, meanwhile, didn’t have to offer things off of their body to get people on their teams. Riley Green didn’t have to do much other than look into contestants’ eyes. He also was quick with the humor, like when Adam Levine admitted he was worried about losing artist BigCountry to Green, the country star shot back:

As for Queen Latifah, her reputation preceded her with the artists, and she was able to use Kelly Clarkson’s penchant for talking a lot to her own advantage. After both of them turned for 19-year-old Marcus Ladden Jr., Clarkson pointed out that she won American Idol at 19 and had won The Voice four times. She said:

• Kelly Clarkson: Wouldn’t it be nice to go with someone you just know has won this show? Do you want to risk it, or do you want to be, like, ‘No, man, I’m gonna go with Kelly. She knows how to win this show.’ Don’t you wanna?
• Queen Latifah: Or do you want the world?

Needless to say, Marcus Ladden Jr. chose Team Queen.

The Season 30 premiere was a fun introduction to the new coaches, and there’s a lot more where that came from (but hopefully les hair). The Voice premiere continues Tuesday and Wednesday, airing at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and streaming the next day on Peacock.

In August, The Kelly Clarkson Show officially aired its final episode, marking the end of a seven-year run and the closing of a sweet era of daytime TV. Clarkson and some of her colleagues have spoken out since the show wrapped production, and many seem to have feelings of gratitude at this time. Of course, due to the series’ conclusion, a number of crew members are now out of work. While I can imagine that not everyone is enthused about having to find new jobs, recent claims about ex-staffers’ feelings seem over-the-top.

Clarkson previously explained that she was ending her show in order to spend more time with her children and to pursue other professional endeavors. As far as the public knows, the “Since U Been Gone” singer does have other gigs on her plate, including her role as a judge on The Voice. All that aside, one insider alleges that Clarkson’s reality is much different from that of her former crew. The unnamed individual shared the pointed claims while speaking with RadarOnline:

Needless to say, comments like these need to be taken with a major grain of salt. No former members of Clarkson’s show have spoken out about those claims, as of this writing. It’s certainly likely that some employees may not be loving the fact that they have to job hunt, especially in this changing media landscape. However, I’d be lying if I said the source's claims didn’t sound a tad dramatic. Still, a second insider seemed to double down on the notion of former employees being in supposedly dire straits:

Kelly Clarkson has shared a plethora of feelings about stepping away from her talk show, which began in 2019. She was reflective in the lead-up to the finale and collectively described her talk show tenure as a “pivot” due to everything that’s happened in her personal life and the world as a whole in recent years. Despite her love for the series, the Grammy winner has joked about what she won’t miss when it comes to daytime TV, which are HR-related meetings and training sessions. Despite that, Clarkson seems to have a lot of love for the show and the people she worked with.

Although Clarkson is ready to move on, the transition has been “bittersweet” for at least one of her collaborators. Lawrence Zarian – a lifestyle expert who appeared on more than 140 episodes of Clarkson – said leaving the show was tough, especially due to the “family” dynamic he forged with the host and the crew. Still, Zarian is thankful to still have a connection to Clarkson and co.

The final episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show to appear on the 2026 TV schedule saw the host forgo typical celebrity interviews in favor of the “Kelly by Request” format, which sees her take song requests from the audience. Amid the festivities, Clarkson’s two kids – River and Remington – also took part and paid tribute to their mom during the broadcast.

Considering that TV schedules have replaced Clarkson’s show with alternate programming, the reality of the show being over is truly sinking in. I can imagine former employees understand that feeling more than most. Even still, I’m not keen on putting too much stock in insider comments about the majority of the staff feeling desperate following the end of the series.

Daytime television is officially in a new era following the end of The Kelly Clarkson Show amid the 2026 TV schedule. The American Idol winner announced earlier this year that she’d be stepping away from her Emmy-winning series to put more focus on her kids. Of course, now that Clarkson is off the air after its seven-year run, alternative programming has to be added in its place in different markets. So what’s it been replaced by?

NBC-owned stations are beginning to share details on how they will update their schedules after The Kelly Clarkson Show, Access Hollywood, and Access Daily wrap. When it comes to Clarkson specifically, viewers in different regions will be watching different shows instead. Per News Cast Studio, NBC New York will be airing News Zone during the daytime talk show’s former slot at 3 p.m. ET. The program is described as “news, as it happens; raw coverage and inside access from the tri-state and beyond.”

Meanwhile, NBC Chicago, NBC Boston, and NBC South Florida will be airing a repeat of Dateline in Kelly’s place, and NBC Philadelphia will be airing a simulcast of WCAU’s streaming news feed. As for NBC San Diego, it will replace The Kelly Clarkson Show with a simulcast of NBC News Now’s Hallie Jackson Now at 2 p.m. local time, with NBC Bay Area airing a new local newscast in the daytime talk show’s timeslot.

Even though it’s been a few days since The Kelly Clarkson Show aired its emotional finale, it’s still hard to imagine anything else airing in its timeslot. Production on the talk show wrapped earlier this year, with many of the crew members commemorating their time on the show. now, the notion of the show's conclusion feels even more real now that NBC-owned stations are beginning to replace it.

Luckily, when it comes to daytime talk shows, there are still other offerings. Jennifer Hudson is holding down the fort with The Jennifer Hudson Show. Previously, Hudson spoke about both Kelly Clarkson and Sherri ending, and she just wants to make both Clarkson and Sherri Shepherd proud while also cheering them on. Both daytime and late-night talk shows have seen changes due to the shifting TV landscape though, hopefully, they'll both remain intact for the foreseeable future.

As for The Kelly Clarkson Show, it went out with a bang, and not just because it was nominated for several Emmys for its final outing. Clarkson was joined by her kids, River and Remy, for the finale, and they paid loving tribute to their mom. While fans were frustrated by her “buzzkill” final summer, Clarkson's final show was well worth the wait. The episode was filled with Kellyoke, highlights of the last seven years and much more.

It's honestly going to take some time for me to get used to the fact that Clarkson is no longer on the air and that other programming is taking her show's place. However, I'm also comforted by the notion of her having been able to step away from her show on her own terms.

Kelly Clarkson has sung her final Kellyoke and encouraged her audience to have a great day (and “if it’s not, change it!”) one last time. After seven seasons, the series finale of The Kelly Clarkson Show aired on the 2026 TV schedule on August 31, with a celebration of the host and her music. It was a bittersweet day — as she said multiple times during the hourlong celebration — and her executive producer weighed in on what it was that made Clarkson so special.

Monday’s episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show saw the American Idol champion cover “Golden” from Kpop Demon Hunters and take requests from special audience members for their favorite songs from the singer’s catalog. As important as music was to the Emmy-winning talk show, though, EP Alex Duda said it’s Kelly Clarkson herself who will be missed for how she brought people together. Duda told People:

Audiences fell in love with Kelly Clarkson’s relatability over the years, whether she was bonding with Zendaya over being late, freaking out during her Nicolas Cage interview or speaking candidly with Khloé Kardashian about breakups.

The Kelly Clarkson Show and its host went through some tough times, though, forcing constant pivots. COVID hit about six months after its premiere episode, Kelly Clarkson separated from her husband Brandon Blackstock, and production moved from Los Angeles to New York. Through it all, Alex Duda said they just wanted to inject a bit of happiness into the viewers’ day:

The music was front and center in the talk show’s series finale, as Kelly Clarkson sang her hits “Since U Been Gone,” “Stronger” and what she called her third version of “Piece By Piece,” which she’d previously rewritten to shade her ex-husband.

Kelly Clarkson may have been a great host, but she seems like a great mom, too, and she had 12-year-old River and 10-year-old Remington join her on stage for the show’s final moments after explaining that they were both the reason she started the show and ultimately why she was stepping away from it.

The singer will certainly be missed on daytime TV, but Kelly Clarkson’s fans can still catch her as a coach on The Voice. The singing competition’s 30th season returns at 8 p.m. ET Monday, September 21, airing on NBC and streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.

The 2026 TV schedule is seeing the end of an era for another beloved daytime talk show. Following Sherri’s cancellation earlier this year, Kelly Clarkson is officially closing the chapter for The Kelly Clarkson Show. The series finale is set to air on Monday, and not surprisingly, Clarkson closed the show in a big way. Both of her kids joined her for the finale, and I am seriously in my feels.

Clarkson revealed in February that she would be ending her talk show later this year. In a statement, she noted she wanted to prioritize her kids following the death of their father and her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, last summer. Her daughter River Rose, 12, and son Remington Alexander, 10, have appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show numerous times over the years, so it only makes sense that they would be in the audience for their mom’s big send-off.

Showrunner and executive producer Alex Duda told People that the finale includes throwback clips of the kids’ time on the show, and it really gives you a perspective of just how much has changed over the years. Not only that, but when they recalled their favorite moments from the series, all River had to tell her mom was “watching you shine,” and I am feeling all sorts of feelings:

Considering River was just five and Remy was only three when The Kelly Clarkson Show began, it’s really astounding to see how much they’ve grown. And the fact that, after all that they’ve seen their mom do on her talk show, River’s favorite moment was just seeing her shine is melting my heart. And I can’t get enough of it.

I love that Clarkson’s kids were in the audience for the finale, and I can only imagine how much more special that made the episode. While wrapping up The Kelly Clarkson Show was bittersweet, as fans will soon see when the finale airs, it seems like Clarkson and the crew definitely went out with a bang that was as emotional as ever. Plus, those new Emmy nominations don’t hurt.

If I’m in my feelings already just hearing about what the finale has involved, I cannot imagine how I’m going to be when I actually watch the finale. Even though Clarkson and her crew have had a while to prepare for the end, I can only imagine how hard it truly was when it came time to film these final episodes. It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to The Kelly Clarkson Show, but I’m looking forward to what else the American Idol winner has up her sleeve. Check local listings to see when the final episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show will be airing on Monday.

Fans of The Kelly Clarkson Show have known that the talk show was in its final weeks. However, the final episode airing on the 2026 TV schedule is happening sooner than you may think. Monday, August 31 will serve as the Emmy-winning talk show’s series finale celebration and, as Clarkson looked back on the past seven years, she used one word to describe the show. It wasn’t what I would have expected.

The Kelly Clarkson Show debuted on September 9, 2019 and, almost exactly seven years later, the American Idol winner will take the stage for the last time. We’ve known this day was coming — the talk show wrapped filming in June — but now that it’s upon us, Kelly Clarkson took some time to reflect on the guests, the performances, the Emmys, and — most importantly — all the ways life has changed. She said:

“Pivot” is an interesting word to describe a talk show. The mental image I have of Ross from Friends yelling, “PI-VOT!” as he tries to push a couch up a staircase is actually kind of appropriate, though, when you think about what’s happened to Kelly Clarkson and the whole world in the last seven years. She explained:

It’s wild to think about — the pandemic hit less than a year after The Kelly Clarkson Show’s debut, during which Clarkson filed for divorce from Brandon Blackstock. She endured heartbreak and a very public, very contentious divorce. She put out a new album, moved the talk show from Los Angeles to New York, experienced weight fluctuations and then went through a different kind of heartbreak when Blackstock passed away in August 2025.

Clarkson saying her talk show was a constant “pivot” also suggests to me that there may have been a lack of stability there for the singer. It’s not hard to see why that may be, but at the same time — as she pointed out above — The Kelly Clarkson Show also served as a place where she could escape what was happening in her personal life and focus on other people.

Now, Kelly Clarkson is leaving TV to focus on what has always been her priority — being a mom to daughter River, 12, and son Remington, 10. It’s been a year since their father died, and when Clarkson announced that her daytime talk show was ending, she said this move felt necessary for this point in her life. One more pivot.

Check your local listings to see how and when you can tune in for The Kelly Clarkson Show’s season finale celebration on Monday, August 31.

News broke of Dolly Parton's death was revealed through a message from the Queen of Country's family on Tuesday morning. Since then, have been flooding on the internet, and we've compiled some of the most notable comments from fellow musicians and Hollywood actors (so far).

While we don't know the exact cause of Parton's death, we know the "Jolene" singer was recently dealing with health issues. As far as special acknowledgements go, we'll start with fellow country legend, Blake Shelton. Here's what he wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of the pair when they worked together on The Voice:

Parton was on multiple episodes of The Voice, and as Shelton remembers her, she was exactly as fans imagine her to be.

Another notable tribute comes from Parton's Steel Magnolia co-star Sally Field. Here's what she wrote:

It's been almost 40 years since Steel Magnolias, but the movie remains a favorite – especially when it comes to movies that lead to a good cry. Julia Roberts also made a statement to Page Six after meeting Parton on Steel Magnolias as well, which is one of the actress's early movies. In her words:

Speaking of Parton's past co-stars, Lily Tomlin also took to Instagram to post about her passing, too. Alongside a photo of the 9 to 5 stars together, Tomlin said this:

9 to 5 was Dolly Parton's first film, and led to the singer/songwriter to act in many other movies and TV show appearances over the years. Jane Fonda also wrote a longer message on Instagram we can share here, but here's an excerpt:

Comedy icon Carol Burnett also shared her best memory of Dolly Parton. In her words, per Instagram:

While Jamie Lee Curtis and Dolly Parton never worked together on anything specifically, but they're paths did cross. Here's Curtis's post:

Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire are both country stars who've also broken big in movies and TV. They've also known each other since the 1970s. As McEntire wrote on her own Instagram post:

Then there's musical theatre star Kristin Chenoweth, who shared she's "heartbroken" by the news. Per Instagram:

Dolly Parton is one of the most honored and beloved singers, with a career spanning sex decades and including 50 studio albums. The impact she's had on the past few generations is something we'll be talking about for decades to come. Here's Kelly Clarkson's tribute, per Instagram:

Another singer touched by Parton is Sabrina Carpenter, who worked with her on a duet of her hit "Please Please Please" just last year. She's posted her own thoughts on Dolly's passing:

These are just the first round of reactions to Dolly Parton's death. We expect there to many more throughout the day and in the weeks to come. Miley Cyrus, for example, will honor the icon at some point after they had multiple collaborations over the years. Clearly she touched so many lives, and there's so many people mourning her right now.

We’re officially in the final weeks of The Kelly Clarkson Show, and while no exact air date has yet been announced for its final episode on the 2026 TV schedule, we do know that filming has already wrapped. There’s been surprisingly little fanfare leading up to the Emmy winner’s impending exit, and I admit I’m kind of in agreement with fans who are calling Kelly Clarkson’s last summer a “buzzkill.”

After months of speculation regarding whether or not Kelly Clarkson wanted to leave TV, the host confirmed in February that Season 7 would be the last hoorah for The Kelly Clarkson Show, as she takes a step back to spend more time with her children following the death of their father Brandon Blackstock. However, the summer’s episodes have been filled with guest hosts and re-runs, causing some fans to air their grievances on Instagram. They said:

• I wish they weren’t reruns. I want her to be there.
• Also yeah pretty sure another week of reruns.
• It feels like it’s already over. It’s not, I know. But the Summer of reruns has been a buzzkill.
• They said the Summer shows would be new, they lied.
• The show is ending, they said [there] would be new episodes to wrap it up.

I have to say, I understand where these fans are coming from. Thinking back to the end of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and other talk shows that have come to an end in recent years, there was a lot of hoopla around final guests and being sure to go out with a bang. Sure, The Kelly Clarkson Show is up for more Daytime Emmy Awards, but I think fans are more concerned that Kelly Clarkson isn’t even hosting all of her final episodes.

As one commenter said, it kind of feels like the talk show has already ended. Kelly Clarkson is living it up with her Studio Sessions residency in Las Vegas, talking about no more NBC HR meetings and celebrating the joys of being single and even giving TMI with her tales from the bathroom.

We’re also already looking ahead to September, when she’ll return as a coach on The Voice. Stories have been circulating for weeks about her trash-talking new Season 30 mentor Riley Green.

We’ll just have to wait and see how many new episodes of The Kelly Clarkson Show we get — with Kelly Clarkson as the actual host — before the show officially comes to an end. Hopefully we will get a celebration worthy of the daytime talk show’s accomplishments, complete with notable final interviews, because the swan song summer has been pretty lackluster so far, at least in the eyes of the fans.

For now you can continue to catch The Kelly Clarkson Show on weekdays (check your local listings for time and station), and afterward follow the singer over to The Voice, which premieres at 8 p.m. ET Monday, September 21, on NBC and streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.

Kelly Clarkson has been opening up in a big way to the audiences at her “Studio Sessions” residency in Las Vegas. After making jokes about HR meetings at NBC and other topics, she apparently moved onto relationships during her July 24 show. In fact, she gave the crowd an update on her own relationship status, and her comments came with the unfiltered brutality we’ve come to expect from the American Idol winner.

Dating has not been a priority for Kelly Clarkson since her 2020 split from Brandon Blackstock. Despite addressing her love life several times over the past few years, she apparently still gets questions about it. She pulled no punches when pointing out one benefit of being single, telling the crowd (via Page Six):

Oof, we’ve all been there, seeing a couple in public having an argument or exhibiting some other kind of behavior that we’re glad we don’t have to put up with. Clarkson continued her honest thoughts on being with someone long-term, saying:

Kelly Clarkson has opened up a bit about what went wrong in her marriage to Brandon Blackstock, who died in August 2025 after a long battle with cancer. Last summer she told a crowd that relationships are difficult in the first place, but when you add a public spotlight on top of that, it becomes a “dumpster fire.” The “I Hate Love” singer has also said she never plans on getting married again.

If she has gone out with anyone, she’s kept that part of her life private, but given the stories she’s told other concertgoers over the past couple of weeks of her residency — like detailing some bathroom issues that apparently would have driven any potential man away — it sounds like she’s just fine being “Miss Independent.”

Kelly Clarkson is focusing on her two children these days, since 12-year-old River and 10-year-old Remington lost their father. Part of that means ending the Emmy-winning Kelly Clarkson Show after its seventh season. A final air date has yet to be announced but is coming this fall to the 2026 TV schedule.

While the singer should have more time on her schedule, I don’t think we should expect any of that to be devoted to dating, given her recent comments. We will, however, still see her on our screens, as she’s returning as a coach on The Voice for Season 30.

Adam Levine, Queen Latifah and Riley Green will join her for the singing competition when it premieres at 8 p.m. ET Monday, September 21, on NBC and streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.

The relationship that Kelly Clarkson has with her fans can be a very open one, as the artist has a tendency to get really candid during her concerts. Just this week, as she opened her Studio Sessions residency in Las Vegas, she joked about being free of HR meetings now that she’s finished taping The Kelly Clarkson Show. Now, a new video shows her talking about some stomach issues she suffered, and this poop story is too much for me!

In Kelly Clarkson’s defense, she does balk at telling the story, saying, “This is TMI,” before the audience encourages her to keep going. A fan video posted to X (Twitter) shows the “Breakaway” singer admitting that she’d felt sick during the previous night’s show and thought she might have cyclosporiasis, the food-borne parasite that’s hit thousands of people across the country. Clarkson said:

Seriously, Kelly Clarkson could look into a career in comedy, because she had the audience rolling in laughter at her story of distress. That’s not where it stopped, either, as she conjured mental images of Bridesmaids’ infamous food poisoning scene:

Kelly Clarkson then comedically sprinted across the stage as if she were running for the bathroom and ultimately joked:

This may be one of the ickier stories Kelly Clarkson has told her audience members, but she’s got quite a reputation for letting everything fly when she’s on stage. Back in 2025, she got real about The Kelly Clarkson Show’s demanding schedule, blaming it for not allowing her to play more concerts. Her honesty apparently rubbed some people the wrong way, with one staffer saying it was a bad look for the eponymous host to be “trashing” her own show.

I’m not sure if this latest story from the singer is more or less offensive to the general public, but what I do know is it isn’t the first time she’s told a nasty bathroom story.

A couple of years ago on the talk show, a fan asked Kelly Clarkson about her most awkward fan interaction. This led to a story about someone following her into a public restroom and asking for an autograph when she was possibly experiencing issues like those described above.

Kelly Clarkson’s relatability is one of the many things we love about her, so sure, maybe confiding to her audience (and therefore all of social media) about some bathroom issues was too much. But nobody can accuse her of not being authentic.

Kelly Clarkson has talked about how demanding her schedule is on The Kelly Clarkson Show, and following the death of her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, it’s obvious why she’s freeing up time to focus on her kids. However, as she spoke to the crowd on the first night of her new Las Vegas residency, she joked that there was another big benefit to quitting daytime TV — she won’t have to attend any more human resources meetings.

The Kelly Clarkson Show is set to end when its seventh season concludes this fall, but no finale date has yet been announced for the 2026 TV schedule (despite the fact that the host has already wrapped filming). Either way, Clarkson was in full stand-up comedian mode as she candidly celebrated “no more HR meetings.” The expectations in her corporate job were pretty different from what she experienced as a musician growing up, she said in an Instagram video (via TMZ), telling the audience:

Kelly Clarkson joked that some of the HR rules were “dumb,” like not being able to comment when someone lost weight. The singer herself dropped some pounds after she moved to New York, and she argued that being acknowledged made people feel good.

In actuality, the “Since U Been Gone” singer admitted she’s not really the rule-breaker she made herself out to be, telling the crowd that the opposite was closer to the truth:

She joked that the people running the HR meetings would sweat if she were in their class because she was a “curious cat” and would ask lots of questions. She said really getting into it was necessary to protect everyone.

Kelly Clarkson has a tendency to speak freely in front of her residency crowds, and she didn’t seem too concerned about any blowback from NBC about her HR comments, saying:

The Kelly Clarkson Show’s days are numbered, but the artist may want to keep in mind that she still draws an NBC paycheck by being a coach on The Voice. Not that she likely has anything to worry about — even when reports came out about The Kelly Clarkson Show being a “traumatizing” work environment in 2023, accusers alleged Clarkson was neither a part of nor aware of the problems.

The host even reportedly required her senior staff (including herself) to undergo training, probably not unlike what she’s joking about now.

You can continue to catch Kelly Clarkson weekdays on her talk show for now, and then on The Voice Season 30, which premieres at 8 p.m. ET Monday, September 21, on NBC and streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.

Kelly Clarkson is continuing to prepare for the end of an era. The American Idol winner will be saying goodbye to her daytime talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, later this year on the 2026 TV schedule so she can focus more on her family. Even though Clarkson is ready, wrapping the show is bittersweet. Luckily, Clarkson and the crew will be going out with a celebratory bang, and she had the sweetest message after learning some big news.

Nominations for the 2026 Emmy Awards were recently announced, and not surprisingly, The Kelly Clarkson Show nabbed quite a few. The music-filled talk show has earned 11 nominations for the Daytime Emmys, which will take place in September. Clarkson, who is gearing up for her “Studio Sessions” Las Vegas residency that begins this weekend, took time away from rehearsing to take to Instagram to share a sweet message:

Much like The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, which ended in May, it seems like The Kelly Clarkson Show is receiving its flowers for its final outing. This is the most nominations that the talk show has earned for the Daytime Emmys since 2023. Since 2020, The Kelly Clarkson Show has managed to walk away with at least two Daytime Emmys, so it wouldn’t be surprising if that trend continued for the final season. Among the nominations are Outstanding Daytime Talk Series and Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host, two categories that The Kelly Clarkson Show and Clarkson herself have won in the past.

While The Kelly Clarkson Show’s final episodes won’t air until the fall, the talk show has already wrapped filming. Episodes are recorded months in advance, as opposed to most talk shows, where episodes are either recorded the day/week of, or live. The final day of production was apparently on June 11, but it’s clear that the emotions are still pouring.

The daytime talk show landscape will look a bit different next year, and not just because Kelly Clarkson is signing off. Sherri Shepherd’s own talk show, Sherri, wrapped in May following a cancellation, but she is not going down without a fight. She’s expressed interest in continuing the show in some other way, possibly a podcast, but she has a lot of other projects on her plate, so that might not be happening any time soon. Meanwhile, The Jennifer Hudson Show is staying strong and will be back with no end in sight, at least not right now.

Airdates for The Kelly Clarkson Show’s final episodes have not been announced, but that will likely be coming in the next couple of months. Before saying goodbye, though, fans will be able to see if the daytime talk show takes home any more Emmys when the Daytime Emmys air on October 13.

Viewers may be counting down the days until the final episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show hits the 2026 TV schedule, but for Kelly Clarkson, filming has already wrapped. The American Idol singer definitely seemed ready to move on from daytime TV — she didn’t even host all of her final season’s episodes — but for others on the Emmy-winning series, there may have been more mixed emotions.

Lifestyle expert Lawrence Zarian appeared on more than 140 episodes of The Kelly Clarkson Show over its seven seasons, and he opened up to US Weekly about how hard it is to lose such a great job — with credit going to Kelly Clarkson herself and other producers for making things so wonderful. Zarian said:

Kelly Clarkson announced in February that her eponymous talk show would end after Season 7, citing the need to spend more time with her children, 12-year-old River Rose and 10-year-old Remington. She’s spoken candidly about her demanding talk show schedule, and Lawrence Zarian understands that Clarkson needs to go be a mom. That doesn’t mean he won’t miss her, though, as they apparently grew very close! He continued:

Awww, that is the sweetest. Everyone should take this as their sign to reach out to their work bestie.

Lawrence Zarian said from Day 1 that he had wanted to someday sing with The Voice coach — who is known for her amazing Kellyoke covers — and that it became a running joke between the two of them. As the end drew near, however, they decided to make it a reality for one of the June shows, as you can see below:

It’s easy to see why he wouldn’t want to leave a boss like that, but Kelly Clarkson’s first responsibility is to her children. Even before River and Remy’s father Brandon Blackstock died last August, there were rumors that Clarkson wanted to leave TV. And after it was confirmed that her ex-husband’s cancer battle had been the reason for her missed tapings and concert cancellations, those rumors didn’t go away.

Sure enough, the announcement came not too long after that Kelly Clarkson had to take some things off her plate to cherish her time with her kids and help them through what has surely been a difficult year.

Her reasoning is understandable and commendable, but like Lawrence Zarian, many of her fans also can’t help but feel the disappointment.

The Kelly Clarkson Show isn’t finished airing yet, though. Check your local listings to see where you can catch her on weekdays, and we’ll keep you posted when the series finale date is announced.

The Voice is getting ready to celebrate a big milestone when Season 30 premieres on the 2026 TV schedule this September. Two new faces will join Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson on the coaching panel — Queen Latifah and Riley Green, the latter of whom is surely hoping to honor the show’s history of country music dominance. Blake Shelton seems to believe Green’s up to the task, and he’s got some blunt advice for the newcomer.

Blake Shelton exited The Voice in 2023 after 23 seasons, and while he still has no plans to come back (in a coaching capacity at least — he has performed on the show since then), he’s still got plenty of opinions about the show, especially with his former rivals Kelly Clarkson and Adam Levine going strong after their respective returns. Shelton offered some strong words of advice to Riley Green as he prepares to go up against them, telling ET:

Blake Shelton makes it sound like The Voice coaches are all mortal enemies, and admittedly if you ever witnessed the feud he had with Kelly Clarkson or heard the F-bombs Adam Levine’s thrown his way, you might believe it. However, trolling is Shelton’s love language — he even trolled his own wife when they competed on The Voice Season 22 — so there’s really no animosity there.

Friendships aside, however, Blake Shelton still thinks Riley Green’s got what it takes to go up against the two veterans, despite both Kelly Clarkson and Adam Levine having won four seasons of The Voice (second only to Shelton himself, who won nine). The “God’s Country” singer suggested the other coaches might have trouble luring artists away from Luke Grimes’ friend and Marshals co-star, saying:

Kelly Clarkson actually may be a tad intimidated by Riley Green, as she has definitely tried to take over as the country music expert on seasons without Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire. In fact, the American Idol winner started talking smack to Green before The Voice Season 30 started shooting — even before she’d actually met the country singer in person!

I’m excited to see how these four coaches get along and what surprises Carson Daly might have in store for The Voice’s milestone season.

Speaking of milestones, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani just celebrated their 5-year wedding anniversary after meeting on The Voice, with their big day coming just weeks after Shelton turned 50 years old. Now, he may not be returning to the NBC singing competition, but it sounds like he’ll be rooting for Riley Green.

The Voice Season 30 premieres at 8 p.m. ET Monday, September 21, on NBC with episodes streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.

The Kelly Clarkson Show is quickly approaching its end, as the Emmy-winning host announced in February that Season 7 would be its last. In fact, filming has actually already wrapped, with the pre-taped episodes set to run on the 2026 TV schedule into the fall. Kelly Clarkson has spoken candidly about her decision, and now one of her buddies is opening up about her post-show plans.

Lifestyle expert Lawrence Zarian is a regular fixture on The Kelly Clarkson Show, appearing in more than 140 episodes over the past seven years. He said this ending is “bittersweet” because it was such a good job, and everyone there had become a family. It seems appropriate, then, that family will be the focus of Kelly Clarkson’s life when the talk show’s over. Zarian told US Weekly:

Many fans were shocked to learn of Brandon Blackstock’s death back in August 2025, which followed a long, private battle with cancer. He was 48. It immediately became clear that the show tapings Kelly Clarkson had missed and the concerts that were postponed were in order to help her two children — River 12 and Remington 10 — cope with their father’s illness and passing.

That, unsurprisingly, was at the center of the American Idol champ’s statement when she announced The Kelly Clarkson Show was coming to an end. She said:

As for that duet that Lawrence Zarian mentioned, he says we will get to see him sing alongside Kelly Clarkson before the lights go down on The Kelly Clarkson Show’s New York City production. The duo will sing “Suddenly Seymour” from Little Shop of Horrors in what the lifestyle guru called the “best moment of my life, truly.”

In addition to spending more time with her little ones, Kelly Clarkson — as promised in the statement above — is set to appear as a coach on The Voice for its milestone 30th season (her 11th on the show).

In the upcoming season, she’ll face off against OG coach Adam Levine in what will be his 19th competition, and Queen Latifah is joining The Voice with fellow first-timer Riley Green.

Last season we saw John Legend bring a couple of his kids to The Voice set, and I think it would be so cool to see River and Remy join Kelly Clarkson at work for some bonus time with mom. They’ve taken the stage during her Las Vegas residency, so who knows what could happen? The only problem is if her kids do come around, Clarkson might want to watch how much she trash-talks rookie Riley Green.

It’s good to hear that Kelly Clarkson’s pals are supportive of her ending her talk show, even under such bittersweet circumstances, and we’ll keep you posted about when The Kelly Clarkson Show’s finale will air. Check your local listings to see when to catch her each weekday until then.

There’s been a lot of hoopla surrounding the end of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, whose cancellation was announced last July, nearly a year before the host was sent moshing into the night last month following his final episode. Unfortunately, that’s not the only big talk show cancellation hitting the 2026 TV calendar, and while we’ve been paying so much attention to Stephen Colbert and the CBS of it all, The Kelly Clarkson Show has seemingly already taped its final episode.

Unlike The Late Show, which aired the same day it taped, The Kelly Clarkson Show records its episodes months in advance, so we’ve still got a while before we actually get to see the final episode on TV. Still, June 11 was reportedly the final day of physical production, as revealed by producer Bryce Mcleay, who posted a lengthy and emotional message on Instagram to commemorate the end, writing in part:

There was some confusion about when the final tape day was, as fans tried to get tickets to be in one of Kelly Clarkson’s final studio audiences. According to a discussion on Reddit, it appears the final episode with its host was taped on June 5, and guest hosts continued to film The Kelly Clarkson Show’s final episodes until June 11 (I'm assuming those guest-led episodes will still air before Clarkson's finale, despite being taped later).

According to fans and the ticket site 1iota, Joel McHale was scheduled for an interview on the morning of June 11, with Mario and Courtney Lopez serving as guest hosts for a taping that afternoon.

Other social media posts seemed to confirm that production on the popular daytime talk show ceased over a week ago, as stage manager Brendan Higgins reflected on how “badass” it’s been to be a part of The Kelly Clarkson Show. Longtime contributors Emily Kaufman (aka The Travel Mom) and lifestyle expert Lawrence Zarian also seem to have made their final appearances, each posting their own memories.

The Kelly Clarkson Show is coming to an end after seven seasons and multiple Daytime Emmy Awards. Kelly Clarkson announced the news about a year after the host missed several tapings without explanation and rumors that she wanted to leave TV. Her absences were explained in August 2025, when her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock died after a long, private battle with cancer.

However, the rumors about Kelly Clarkson wanting to end the show persisted, and sure enough, the host confirmed that she had to step away from the talk show’s grueling schedule in order to be there for her two young kids who had just lost their father.

The Kelly Clarkson Show’s final tape day may have passed us by, but the big emotional goodbyes are yet to come when the finale airs later this year, likely in September, though no official date has yet been announced. Until then, check your local listings to see when the final season’s episodes air in your area.

When Kelly Clarkson first joined the daytime TV sphere, I was surprised but, after over a thousand episodes of her eponymous talk show, it’s now difficult to imagine her not being apart of it. Back in February, the singer announced that The Kelly Clarkson Show would officially end after seven seasons and, like some viewers, I'm emotional about that conclusion. And even the actors appearing on Clarkson's remaining episodes are feeling it. Recently, Rita Wilson stopped by the show to discuss touring, and she gave Clarkson well-earned flowers ahead of her farewell.

It's been difficult processing the fact that Clarkson's show will wrap up its seven-season run this fall as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Still, Wilson said everything fans may have been thinking when she detoured into her emotional tribute, which left Clarkson in tears. Check out the sweet moment below:

Cue all of the "awwws." Wilson's sentiments are truly lovely and beautifully sum up a good deal of Clarkson's legacy:

I can easily imagine some audience members possibly needing tissues after those sentiments were shared. At this point, much has been said about the daytime program's conclusion, with some believing Clarkson quit her talk show. However, she assured her fans that that the case. The decision came months after her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock’s, passing, which prompted the singer to think about her priorities and what she needs to pull back on.

The "Behind These Hazel Eyes" singer is known for her bubbly personality and quirky humor, which has arguably made The Kelly Clarkson Show a delightful watch since its debut in 2019. Clarkson's interview with Wilson is so wonderfully on brand, as she pivoted from listing tour essentials to promoting Thieves lozenges that she swears by. The way the host talks about them not only makes me want to try one, but reminds me of what daytime TV is going to be missing. She described:

Despite Clarkson's decision to leave her show, fans shouldn’t expect Clarkson to retire from the entertainment industry for good. She already has plans for what she really wants to do moving forward. Sadly, while that doesn’t include hosting (for now), the singer intends to step back into doing more live performances. As a longtime “Breakaway” fan, I’m excited about the prospect of her getting back to writing and performing music.

More recently, fans also got to enjoy watching Clarkson talk smack with the other coaches on The Voice’s season 29. The season may have ended but, thankfully, NBC has already announced that Clarkson will return for Season 30, along with Queen Latifah, Riley Green and Adam Levine.

As for The Kelly Clarkson Show, though, viewers should do their best to enjoy the final stretch of episodes ahead of the finale this fall. I also have a strong feeling that, before the show is done, other guests will be paying sweet tribute to Clarkson as Rita Wilson has. Check your local listings to see when the show airs in your area.

Dutton Ranch has brought jaw-dropping ratings to Paramount since its premiere on the 2026 TV schedule, thanks in large part to Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, who star as Yellowstone fan favorites Beth and Rip. The spinoff takes the couple down to Texas, where they’ve got new faces to contend with, as well as some new critters. Rattlesnakes have apparently been an issue on the Dutton Ranch set, and even as someone who lives in Texas, I am horrified at just how many the crew caught during filming.

If you live in the more rural areas of Texas like Fort Worth, as I do, you simply can’t avoid encountering snakes. Thankfully, my experiences have only involved small, nonthreatening one so far; however, the Dutton Ranch crew, who filmed in areas around Fort Worth, wasn’t so lucky. Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly visited The Kelly Clarkson Show, where Hauser told the host:

Abso. Lutely. Not. I think I’d be pulling some kind of, “I cannot work under these conditions,” and sitting my butt in a trailer. Now, Kelly Clarkson is one of many celebrities from Texas, so maybe there’s a chance she’d have been OK in such circumstances. Kelly Reilly, not so much.

But if you think a few thousand snakes are going to keep Beth Dutton from finishing a job, you don’t know Beth Dutton. Kelly Reilly gave her perspective of what it was like filming those outdoor scenes, saying:

She also clarified that the snakes were not harmed when they were caught — just moved very far away from where the actors were working.

Cole Hauser had a particularly harrowing experience one night, as he told the audience:

What’s more frightening — the train station or 50 rattlesnakes? I hope I never have to make that choice.

Dutton Ranch, which can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription, seems to be a hit so far, with its premiere grabbing 12.9 million viewers in its first seven days in release, according to Paramount. Cole Hauser showed his appreciation for fans who remained interested in Beth and Rip’s story, as they meet new characters in a new land. Annette Bening and Ed Harris co-star in Dutton Ranch’s first season, along with Juan Pablo Raba as a very Jamie Dutton-like Joaquin.

Join the actors down on the Texas farm for all of the Dutton Ranch fun, with new episodes at 8 p.m. ET each Friday on Paramount Network and streaming on Paramount+. Just be sure to watch out for snakes.

The Voice will hit a big benchmark when it returns to the 2026 TV schedule this fall, gearing up to crown its 30th champion since debuting 15 years ago. Anyone who’s tuned into NBC’s singing competition knows how important The Voice’s superstar coaches are to the show’s success, because when their competitive juices start to flow, so does the smack talk. Apparently they don’t always wait for the cameras to start rolling, either, because incoming rookie Riley Green revealed that Kelly Clarkson has already sniffed out that fresh meat.

One aspect of The Voice that’s contributed to its success is the fact that each season is really two competitions in one — there’s the singing competition that aims to launch an artist into the industry and then there's the battle amongst the coaches to have that person be their team member. Rising country music star Riley Green is set to take his place in the Big Red Chair for the first time in Season 30, and he told E! News ahead of the AMAs how Kelly Clarkson is welcoming him to the family:

It is absolutely wild that Kelly Clarkson is putting newbie Riley Green in his place before production even starts on The Voice Season 30. Knowing how competitive she gets, it’s not exactly a surprise, though, and I have to say, I absolutely love it.

The “Worst Way” singer said that while he hasn’t gotten much facetime with his fellow Season 30 coaches Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson or Queen Latifah yet, he’s excited about the idea of their rapport developing in real time in front of the camera. I agree that will be fun to watch — but I stand by concerns that the trio of music industry veterans might just eat Riley Green’s lunch. At least Clarkson showing her competitive edge early gives the Marshals actor a hint of what to expect, as he said:

You can say that again! In Kelly Clarkson’s 10 seasons, she’s taken 4 artists to the end. That’s the same number of victories as OG coach Adam Levine, except it took him 19 seasons to accomplish it.

The “Since U Been Gone” singer proved how ruthless she is during Season 29’s Battle of Champions, winning both the Triple Turn Competition and the All-Star Showdown that brought back the coaches’ past team members. She wasn’t able to get the crown in the end, though, as Adam Levine team member Alexia Jayy took top honors.

So Kelly Clarkson can be beaten, but it sounds like she’s definitely going to make Riley Green work for it. The Voice Season 30 will premiere in September on NBC, with episodes available to stream the next day with a Peacock subscription.

Kelly Clarkson may be one of the most renowned singers of our day — with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, her own eponymous talk show and multiple wins as a coach on The Voice to boot — but to her two children, River (11) and Remington (10) — she’s a mother first. However, the same can’t be said for her kids’ friends. Clarkson got real about one hilarious side effect of being as famous as she is, and it’s certainly something I’ve never thought about.

The American Idol champ may be “Mom” to her two little ones, but to their friends, she’s still the ridiculously famous singer of hits like “Since U Been Gone” and “Behind These Hazel Eyes.” As such, they apparently refer to her as any normal person would when addressing a celebrity of her caliber. She said on The Kelly Clarkson Show (via US Weekly):

I’m glad she finds humor in the situation, because it’s actually so adorable to think of tweens just constantly full-naming Kelly Clarkson. I can’t blame them, because I’d do the same thing!

There’s certainly an adjustment period when people stop calling you by your name, and you have to accept the fact that your identity is now being someone’s mom. Living in Texas — Kelly Clarkson’s home state — I also get a lot of “Miss” and “Ma’am,” which is fine because it’s not “Hey,” or “Bruh,” and I don’t expect them all to learn my name.

However, everybody knows Kelly Clarkson’s name, and wouldn't it be so weird to call her “Miss Kelly” or “River’s mom”? She’s won three Grammys for godsakes!

Even Jenna Bush Hager — who was Kelly Clarkson’s guest — admitted she wouldn’t be able to call the singer anything but her full name, saying:

The Today with Jenna & Sheinelle host said she didn’t have the same issue using first names for her colleagues like Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie, but they’re such a family over there at the NBC morning show that that’s not really a surprise.

It’s possible that River and Remington’s friends might be seeing more of Kelly Clarkson soon, as the host is ending The Kelly Clarkson Show at the end of its seventh season. She admitted that she needed to take some things off of her plate in order to be there for her children, especially in the wake of their father Brandon Blackstock’s death last August.

I think it’s a great move for her family, but I doubt it’s going to make a difference in how her kids’ friends refer to her. You can still catch The Kelly Clarkson Show on weekdays on NBC through the fall (check your local listings), and she’ll be back on The Voice for its milestone 30th season, which will premiere on the 2026 TV schedule in September.

The Voice is celebrating its milestone 30th season this fall, and it’s certainly bringing the star power to the 2026 TV schedule. As I suspected, rumors of Blake Shelton’s potential return were greatly exaggerated, but I’m definitely not disappointed in the coaching lineup that NBC has assembled. Queen Latifah is set to join The Voice family alongside the previously announced Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson and newcomer Riley Green, and I have to admit I’m a bit concerned about the country music artist.

The Voice prides itself on finding superstar talent to lead each season’s group of contestants, and Queen Latifah is unequivocally that. Not only does she have a music career dating back over three decades (earning her a Grammy and myriad other awards), she’s an actress who’s won an Emmy and a Golden Globe and been nominated for an Oscar.

I can’t wait to see how her experience and expertise informs her mentoring strategy, because while she’s never coached on The Voice before, Queen Latifah has been a guest judge on America’s Got Talent, sang at the Super Bowl and hosted numerous awards shows and her own talk show (Carson Daly better watch out!).

That’s obviously a lot more entertainment experience than Riley Green has accumulated, and I’m really interested to see how he plays that on The Voice Season 30.

That’s not to downplay the achievements the country singer has see in his comparatively short career. Riley Green hasn’t coached before, but he performed in The Voice finales for Seasons 26 and 28. He’s won numerous ACM and CMA Awards since releasing his debut studio album in 2019 and has hits with artists like Thomas Rhett and Luke Combs.

He also recently made his acting debut on the CBS series Marshals (streaming with a Paramount+ subscription), so clearly he’s qualified to coach entertainment industry hopefuls.

Riley Green also played college football, so we're probably looking at a strong competitive spirit. I also admit how naive it would be of me to underestimate how well any country music artist can do on The Voice. However, not only is Riley Green going up against Queen Latifah, he’s got to face two of the competition’s most venerated coaches.

Season 30 will be Adam Levine’s 19th time on The Voice, which is more than any coach other than Blake Shelton (23). He and Kelly Clarkson each have 4 wins — the most of any coach other than Shelton (9). Clarkson’s reign is all the more impressive because those victories came in just 10 seasons, giving her an impressive 40% win percentage.

I love that Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson are coming back, because they carry a legacy of winning, and I’m super pumped to see how Queen Latifah and Riley Green fit into the mix.

With this being the NBC singing competition’s 30th season, I’m sure Carson Daly’s got some twists up his sleeve, and the network has already teased special appearances from former coaches and mentors.

What we don’t yet know is the premiere date, but stay tuned, because we’ll definitely be on the lookout for The Voice Season 30 this fall on NBC and streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.

We’re mere hours away from learning who will win The Voice Season 29 and which coach will claim bragging rights for the first-ever Battle of Champions. The Top 9 were cut down to the Top 4 in Monday’s Semifinals, and here, I’m taking a look at that quartet of artists who the studio audience voted through to the finale — which will air Tuesday on the 2026 TV schedule — and picking who I think should win The Voice Season 29.

The Battle of Champions has made a lot of changes to the competition we’ve grown so familiar with (like only having three coaches), and another big one is how the winner will be chosen. For the first time in The Voice’s history, there are no live episodes and no vote from America. I can’t say I love this twist as much as I like the reduction in coaches, but NBC doesn’t really make a habit of asking my opinion. Below, I'll break down the performances that earned these artists a spot in the Top 4 and give my pick for the winner.

SPOILER ALERT! From here on out, I will be discussing the four artists who were voted on to advance to the finale during Monday’s episode. If you haven’t seen the April 13 Semifinals, you can stream the episode with a Peacock subscription.

Team Adam’s Finalist: Alexia Jayy

Alexia Jayy, a 31-year-old singer from Alabama was the first artist voted through by a special studio audience composed of The Voice superfans and alumni, beating out her fellow members of Adam Levine’s team, Jeremy Keith and Jared Shoemaker. This may have only been the Semifinals, but she gave a finale-worthy performance of “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)” by Aretha Franklin, which you can see above.

The Voice coaches gave her glowing praise, with John Legend saying she exudes creativity and positive energy. Kelly Clarkson — who screamed throughout the performance but was crying by the end — lauded Alexia Jayy’s strength and femininity. Jayy’s coach just said she was “the best singer ever" and that he felt more like a fan than a mentor.

Team Legend’s Finalist: Lucas West

The audience was captivated by 21-year-old Lucas West’s rendition of Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed,” (above) which closed out the Semifinal performances Monday night. The New Yorker will represent John Legend in the finale, knocking out teammates KJ Willis and Syd Millevoi. The coaches called West the complete package, as he dazzled the room with both his piano skills and his voice.

Adam Levine called Lucas West “captivating,” and while Kelly Clarkson said she doesn’t like the lack of intimacy of stadium shows, she thinks West is the kind of artist who would totally crush in that type of venue. John Legend pointed out that his knack for tackling big songs by big artists signalled strong songwriting acumen, and he can’t wait to see some original material.

Team Kelly’s First Finalist: Liv Ciara

Liv Ciara may not have turned a chair in Season 28, but she is making Season 29 her own. The 16-year-old from Missouri produced her own version of Irene Cara’s “Flashdance… What a Feeling,” starting out a capella but building up to those huge runs that you crave in singing competition finales. (You’ll want to watch the above video.) The crowd went absolutely nuts, and Adam Levine said he was sad that she wasn’t on his team:

Kelly Clarkson said a fire’s been lit under Liv Cara, and she’s hungry for the win. Don’t sleep on this one when it’s all on the line in Tuesday’s finale.

Team Kelly’s Second Finalist: Mikenley Brown

Because Kelly Clarkson’s past champions won the All-Star Showdown, she earned a second spot in the finale, which went to Mikenley Brown, the 19-year-old from Indiana. Brown has been an inspiration throughout the competition, and on this night she became a real competitor. Brown sang “I’m Not the Only One” by Sam Smith, and John Legend and Adam Levine said this performance demanded that people take notice of her.

Her coach agreed, as Kelly Clarkson said believability is key with Mikenley Brown. Lots of people can sing a great song, the American Idol alum said, but she buys what Brown is selling. It’s been a joy to watch Brown this season as she spoke out about not letting anyone else tell you who you are. Her song choices spoke to her message all season, from Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” to Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.” Check out her Semifinal performance above.

With Liv Ciara and Mikenley Brown representing Kelly Clarkson in the Season 29 finale, that meant the end of the road for her third semifinalist, country music artist JW Griffin.

Who I Think Should Win, Based On The Semifinals? Alexia Jayy

I’ll admit, I’ve got a soft spot for the blues, so Alexia Jayy’s Semifinal performance was right up my alley. She had the gritty scream, the super low notes and just so much power. I loved her set that had the band circled around her like the queen she is.

This performance was the latest in a season that saw her crush “You Give Good Love” by Whitney Houston and another Aretha song — "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” which earned her a Triple Turn in the Blind Auditions. Alexia Jayy hasn’t fumbled, and while she’s still got some performing to do Tuesday, she’s my choice to win going into the final night.

With a whole episode of finale performances to go, the competition is still anyone’s for the taking. The special studio audience will again vote after these four take the stage, and a winner will be announced by the end of the episode. Tune in to see who wins over the superfans and Voice alumni, starting at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, April 14, on NBC and streaming the next day on Peacock.

A winner will be announced this week on The Voice, as Season 29’s “Battle of Champions” will be decided in back-to-back slots on the 2026 TV schedule. The end of the Knockouts last week solidified the final nine contestants who will compete for the audience’s vote (not America’s vote) in Monday’s Semifinals, and I’m surprised that both Kelly Clarkson and John Legend made the same candid confession about their final three.

This season’s three coaches — Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Adam Levine — are each taking a trio of artists into the April 13 episode, and if you’re surprised to see KJ Willis, Syd Millevoi and Lucas West leading the way for Team Legend, well, that makes one of you. The EGOT winner admitted his Top 3 hasn’t changed since the Blind Auditions, telling People:

Strangely enough, Kelly Clarkson said the same thing about JW Griffin, Liv Ciara and Mikenley Brown, as she said to People:

My feelings about these candid confessions are mixed. While this definitely speaks to the strength of the semifinalists, I also feel a bit disheartened for the singers who lost in the Battle and Knockout rounds. How much of a chance did they have to change their coaches’ minds — particularly since, as she pointed out, Kelly Clarkson missed some rehearsal days?

The Voice coaches have discussed in the past how they try not to play favorites and let the performances determine who wins each dual. But, when you’ve got two of three coaches of The Voice saying that their favorites on Day 1 are still their favorites going into the penultimate episode, it just gives me a moment of pause.

That’s not to take away from the semifinalists, though, because they are phenomenal. I really don’t begrudge Kelly Clarkson or John Legend for sticking with these artists. As Legend said about his trio:

Kelly Clarkson spoke to the “raw soul” that she hears in each of her team members. When you’re listening to their music, she said:

I’m excited for the two nights of musical storytelling that are coming our way. The Top 9 will compete at 9 p.m. ET Monday, April 13 in the Semifinals, with the Top 4 (one each from Adam Levine and John Legend’s teams and two from Kelly Clarkson’s as she won the All-Star Showdown) competing in the Season 29 Finale at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday, April 14.

For the first time in The Voice’s history, there will be no live episodes. The Semifinals and Finale were pre-recorded, with the winner decided by a studio audience of alumni and superfans. The results will be announced at the end of Tuesday’s episode.

Spoiler alert! Minor spoilers ahead for The Voice Season 29 Knockouts that aired April 6. The episode is now available to stream with a Peacock subscription.

The Voice “Battle of Champions” is down to its Top 9, with each of Season 29’s trio of coaches finalizing their teams of three in the Knockout round. After the contestants’ final head-to-head performances, the show did something it had never done before — it welcomed back past winners to compete in the inaugural All-Star Showdown, and one performance was so emotional that Kelly Clarkson was brought to tears.

Five champions from The Voice’s past and one former finalist took the stage for a special in-season competition that aired Monday on the 2026 TV schedule. It was actually wonderful to see so many familiar faces perform on The Voice stage again, but for Kelly Clarkson, hearing Season 17 winner Jake Hoot’s cover of “Desperado” caused a strong emotional reaction. She told him:

Others in the studio were clearly moved by Kelly Clarkson’s words, including Girl Named Tom’s Bekah Grace Liechty, who was also seen wiping away tears. You can see Jake Hoot’s moving performance below:

In addition to Jake Hoot, Kelly Clarkson welcomed back Girl Named Tom — the first (and so far only) group to ever win The Voice — while Adam Levine brought back the very first Voice champion, Javier Colon, as well as Jordan Smith. John Legend invited his sole winner, Maelyn Jarmon, and Season 25 finalist Renzo, and I’d have to agree with Clarkson that there was something special about hearing them all sing again.

As some of The Voice coaches said, I’d forgotten just how good these singers were, so it was good to be reminded. I also wasn’t aware of some of the success these artists have seen post-show, including Javier Colon winning a regional Emmy in 2025 for his musical tribute to frontline workers and Jordan Smith co-writing the song “Ashes” that Celine Dion recorded for the Deadpool 2 soundtrack.

Overall, though, the All-Star Showdown was all about the emotion that music evokes, and I certainly can’t blame Kelly Clarkson for shedding a few tears. This season was likely not an easy one for the American Idol champ to get through, as she was dealing with the illness and ultimate death of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock. Her absence reportedly caused some “crucial” parts of the season to be delayed, and Jennifer Hudson was called to fill in for her in Battle rehearsals.

As far as the competition goes, though, things are still going Kelly Clarkson’s way. After she won The Voice’s inaugural Triple Turn Competition, her team was also declared the winner of the All-Star Showdown, meaning she’ll take an extra artist into next week’s finals.

Tune in at 9 p.m. ET Monday and Tuesday, April 13 and 14, for The Voice Season 29 Semifinals and Finals on back-to-back nights on NBC.

The competition is fierce on The Voice, of which the 29th season is airing on the 2026 TV schedule. Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Adam Levine are engaged in the “Battle of Champions,” as all three of the Voice coaches have previously won the show. Whoever takes the W this season will have huge bragging rights, but as Clarkson looked back at her very first win, it sounds like nothing could beat getting “the ultimate revenge” on Blake Shelton.

It doesn’t matter how long Blake Shelton has been gone from The Voice, his spirit lingers. The cowboy had a reputation for winning all of the country music artists and then rubbing it in his colleagues’ faces as he racked up nine wins over 23 seasons. That means he bumped heads a lot with Kelly Clarkson. Just recently, the current coach took a look back at her biggest moments recently, and when she happened upon a photo of Brynn Cartelli from Season 14, she said:

Clarkson winning The Voice with Brynn Cartelli was quite the unforgettable experience, but that’s thanks in part to Shelton. The trolling came early and often from the country music superstar, who set the tone for what would be one of the show’s greatest rivalries by saying on Clarkson’s first episode:

Blake Shelton continued to make a point over the years to downplay Kelly Clarkson’s country music experience — much in the same way that John Legend and Reba McEntire did her dirty on the current season — and that’s what made her Season 14 victory oh-so-sweet. Clarkson said:

The American Idol champ expressed a similar sentiment when recalling her Season 17 win with Jake Hoot, saying:

Say what you will about Blake Shelton's trolling of his fellow Voice coaches, but there’s something to be said for his tactics when even in the sixth season since he walked away from the Big Red Chair, Kelly Clarkson and other mentors continue to hold their victories over him as the highest honor they’ve achieved on the show.

Blake Shelton may not be around anymore, but tune in to see who will win the “Battle of Champions,” as Season 29 continues at 9 p.m. ET Mondays on NBC and streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.

The Voice’s revamped 29th season is flying by — much like Jennifer Hudson’s shoes — as the Battle round has wrapped, leaving this season’s three coaches with just six team members apiece. The so-called “Battle of Champions” has been full of surprises, and J-Hud’s return was one of the latest. After watching her fill in for Kelly Clarkson, I’m now desperate for a season that features all coaches who came to fame through reality competitions.

I Loved The Advice Jennifer Hudson Had For Team Kelly

It was previously reported that Kelly Clarkson had missed some filming days for The Voice Season 29 after the death of her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock. However, it was only when the Battles began that we learned Jennifer Hudson was returning to pull double duty as Team Kelly’s Battle Advisor and coach during rehearsals.

J-Hud was previously a coach on The Voice in Seasons 13 and 15 and a Mega Mentor on Season 26, and while we all remember her penchant for throwing shoes, I’d forgotten how strong those competitive juices flow. It should come as no surprise, of course, from someone who took a seventh-place finish on American Idol and became an EGOT winner with her own talk show (complete with that viral Spirit Tunnel).

Where The Voice’s other coaches encourage their Battle contestants to forget about the competition and focus on chemistry with their duet partner, Jennifer Hudson went in the opposite direction, reminding Kelly Clarkson’s artists they were vying for the same spot. As she told Drew Russell and Jared Shoemaker in the March 23 episode (streaming with a Peacock subscription):

Her unique perspective coming from a talent competition makes me want to see how her strategies would play out against Kelly Clarkson and other artists who have found fame on American Idol and other talent shows.

I Want To See A Full Coaching Panel Of Former Competition Stars

Artists like Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson bring such gravitas to The Voice because they’ve been through this. It’s why Carrie Underwood returning to American Idol as a judge was such a big deal. It’s why Clarkson and John Legend butted heads earlier this season over song choice. Now I’m so curious to see what four former competition stars would do if pitted against each other.

Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson and Niall Horan — whose former band One Direction was formed on The X Factor in 2010 — would be obvious options, with all of them having coached on The Voice before.

There are endless options for a fourth, including Cassadee Pope or another past winner of The Voice. I’d love to see Adam Lambert (American Idol Season 8 runner-up) or Kelly Rowland (who competed on Star Search), and if The Voice weren’t so entwined with Blake Shelton, his ex-wife Miranda Lambert, who came in third on Nashville Star in 2003, would be an option.

Or maybe The Voice would stick to its 3-chair format. However they’d choose to do it would be fine with me. I was just delighted to hear Jennifer Hudson offering some different advice during the Battle round, and I think it would be a treat to see her face off against Kelly Clarkson and others who have been through a similar experience.

See how The Voice Season 29 plays out, with new episodes airing at 9 p.m. ET Mondays on NBC and streaming the next day on Peacock.

The Kelly Clarkson Show is ending after seven years, and Clarkson's decision to exit her series is just as hard as it is for NBC to decide who will replace her. While the network is going over a list of who could potentially replace the music superstar turned talk show host, two interesting names surfaced that I'd 100% be on board with.

The Traitors Season 4 might've been light on strategic gameplay, but the drama was great. It's no surprise, then, that NBC is eyeing two of its stars to serve as the next big hosts of daytime television, and I think ice skating fans will be thrilled to see Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski back together again.

Johnny Weir And Tara Lipinski Eyed To Replace The Kelly Clarkson Show

Radar Online reports that talks are happening to get Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski together to host a daytime talk show meant to replace The Kelly Clarkson Show. The gist from insiders is that Weir and Lipinski are a proven duo who understand what makes good television, and they're good at what they do. In addition to their recent appearance on The Traitors, they've been commentators for ice skating during the Winter Olympics for over a decade.

And while Johnny Weir said celebrities may not be their target demographic after no one clocked their friendship on The Traitors, both he and Tara Lipinski are reportedly well-liked amongst the demo that follows daytime television. No solid deal is in place, but given the praise, don't be surprised if we get a new show announced with this duo soon.

Another Famous Name Is Allegedly Being Considered As Well

Nothing is for sure when it comes to who is replacing Kelly Clarkson just yet, and other names beyond Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski are being considered as well. Pink was recently reported as another name in the mix, and she's filling in for the singer currently.

It's hard to say with certainty which way NBC's executives are leaning, because those are two entirely different picks for the job. If I had to speculate, Pink would land the role if the intention is to continue a format similar to The Kelly Clarkson Show, and based on her guest-hosting stents so far, she seems to do well enough in the role.

Bringing in Weir and Lipinski feels like it would be a new show entirely, perhaps something closer to Live with Kelly and Mark. Who knows, there may even be another show and celebrity in the mix being considered as well. Honestly, I'm not sure who would be a better option given the rumored options so far, so I don't envy the people who ultimately have to make that decision!

The Kelly Clarkson Show currently airs on weekdays, and will continue new episodes through the fall of 2026 TV schedule. Perhaps by then, we'll learn what the plan is for the show's future, and who the next big names of daytime talk show will be.

It’s pretty wild to see how much of a difference one chair makes (even if that chair is a Big Red one), as The Voice has downsized to just three coaches for Season 29. Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend have been duking it out on the singing competition’s first all-champion panel, but how do they feel about losing their fourth? The Maroon 5 frontman actually loves it, and I’m surprised that I agree with him.

There were a lot of unknowns before The Voice Season 29 premiered on the 2026 TV schedule, with host Carson Daly promising plenty of all-new twists for the sports-themed “Battle of Champions.” Going from four coaches to three was arguably the biggest change though, and it’s one that has been fully embraced by Adam Levine, who told NBC:

Fans of The Voice know that Adam Levine loves to cause trouble, so it makes sense that he supports a change that makes it easier for him to banter with his fellow coaches of The Voice. He also said his familiarity with Kelly Clarkson and John Legend — who all appeared together on Season 16, along with Blake Shelton — forced him to get more creative in pitching himself to potential team members.

I have to say, I agree with him, and I wasn’t sure that would be the case. I was frankly confused by the Season 29 revamp and definitely not happy with the number of contestants being reduced to 30 (10 per coach), in comparison to the 48 or more we’ve seen in previous seasons.

However, just like taking the coach count down allows for a better rapport amongst them, I think giving more time to fewer artists has benefited Season 29 so far. For one thing, the coaches were super picky about which singers they turned for, creating some amazingly talented teams. In fact, Adam Levine called one Team Kelly battle from March 16 the “best Battle round in the history of the show.” (See that performance below.)

We’ve also been able to get to know the contestants better, with no performances being severely truncated in the interest of saving time. While I’d still like to see more than 30 artists on future seasons, I actually loved having fewer nights of Blind Auditions, because by the time we got to the Battles, I hadn’t completely forgotten the singers we met in the beginning.

I’m not sure the reduction to three Big Red Chairs is something we’ll see permanently, but I agree with Adam Levine that there are benefits to the format that could open up producers’ options going forward.

Tune in to see how the rest of Season 29 plays out, with new episodes airing at 9 p.m. ET Mondays on NBC and streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.

Daytime television will be looking a little different in the near future on the 2026 TV schedule. Kelly Clarkson has decided to end her talk show to focus more on her family, while Fox has canceled Sherri. For Jennifer Hudson, though, her show is staying strong and was even recently renewed for a fifth season, securing The Jennifer Hudson Show’s future for at least another year. Now the EGOT winner is opening up about how it feels to be without her fellow talk show colleagues.

While it’s definitely an exciting time for Hudson knowing that her show is going to come back, it can probably be a conflicting time as well, knowing that two great talk show hosts aren’t going to come back. Hudson admitted to People just how she’s feeling about taking on the extra weight, though she hasn’t exactly thought about it too much just yet:

Despite the fact that the three of them were fighting for the same audience and were in a talk show competition, it’s nice to see Hudson being so supportive of Clarkson and Shepherd. They all know what it’s like to be on both sides of the couch, which is why it was so great to have them hosting their own talk shows. It will be weird when The Kelly Clarkson Show and Sherri eventually end, but Hudson seems ready to make them both proud.

When it was announced that The Kelly Clarkson Show would be ending, Hudson had the best take on it. She gave her fellow successful American Idol alum some well-wishes, telling her that she’s a GOAT. I wouldn’t be surprised if Clarkson ended up appearing on JHud’s show in the future, as well as Shepherd, and perhaps the only thing that would make those appearances better is if Hudson managed to get Clarkson and Shepherd on at the same time.

Meanwhile, Hudson is not the only one whose talk show is still going strong. It was actually just announced that The Drew Barrymore Show has been picked up for two additional seasons, per Variety, keeping the series on the air through at least 2028. So even with two daytime shows down for the count, there are still talk shows to look forward to that will surely keep fans happy.

Speaking of, check out a clip from one of this week's episodes, in which the host addresses the life lesson she keeps stumbling upon.

As of now, it’s unknown exactly when Sherri and The Kelly Clarkson Show will air their final episodes, but the longer fans wait, the longer they will be able to prepare their goodbyes. The final shows will definitely be emotional, but Shepherd and Clarkson are leaving daytime talk television in good hands, even if it wasn’t Shepherd’s own decision to make. Plus, with another season of The Jennifer Hudson Show and two of The Drew Barrymore Show on the way, there is going to be much more to look forward to.

Things have already gotten a bit fiery on The Voice’s revamped 29th season, especially between Kelly Clarkson and John Legend, as they — along with Adam Levine — compete to win the show’s first season with an all-champion coaching panel. First, Legend turned Reba McEntire against her own former daughter-in-law, and then things got really interesting during a strong debate over song choice strategy. In fact, their “fight” actually changed my opinion on how important coach selection is.

Don’t get me wrong, obviously some artists are going to gel better with specific coaches — it’s the main reason I’m glad they’ve done away with Blocks — but for the most part I’ve always thought that singers would benefit from the mentorship, regardless of which of The Voice coaches they landed with. I’m not so sure anymore. On the second night of auditions (airing March 2 on the 2026 TV schedule), Mike Steele earned that coveted Triple Turn, and the mentors went about trying to recruit him to their team.

John Legend started by asking what artists the 28-year-old Mississippi singer liked to cover, likely already forming a plan of which GIVĒON, Tyrese and Jodeci songs he could get for his potential team member. Kelly Clarkson, however, was concocting a different strategy, as she said:

John Legend clearly disagreed with this line of thinking, as he addressed the artist on stage:

Probably around this point, Adam Levine started attempting to remind Mike Steele that he also had turned his chair, and while he didn’t offer his own song choice strategy, he did offer him refuge from the drama, saying he hated it “when Mom and Dad fight.” But the debate continued:

• Kelly: I’m going to be honest with you. We’re so different, so everything he said, I would not do. So don’t choose me if that’s what you like. No, because here’s why. It’s because I went on a competition and sang Aretha Franklin almost every week, and then I made a pop-rock album. This is the time, I think, that you should stretch yourself a bit.
• John: But he’s doing it on national TV. This is his moment. This is his moment to tell people who he is.
• Kelly: I just think this is the moment that you are able to stretch and do things. So I don’t think you should pick me if that’s the route you want to go, because I am totally going to push you to pick things that are maybe outside of the box.

It got pretty intense, with Kelly Clarkson even reminding everyone that, hey, I won American Idol, remember? Thankfully, the tension didn’t last long, as they hugged it out and agreed they were done fighting.

Honestly I see both sides. I’m inclined to agree with John Legend, because if an artist only gets one or two weeks of national exposure, they can still start to grow a fanbase if they’ve more or less previewed the kind of album they’d want to make.

However, it’s also really hard to argue with somebody who not only has actually been through this process and achieved so much success in its aftermath, but also has taken more artists to The Voice finish line than her compatriots.

Either way, it’s really interesting to see how different coaches approach their artists’ journeys, and it proved just how important it is to choose the right coach. Mike Steele ended up going with John Legend, so he must have connected with the EGOT winner’s plan to take advantage of his moment. You can see Steele’s audition and the ensuing debate below:

Tune in to see how Mike Steele fares in the competition and which coach’s strategy pays off! The Voice Season 29 airs at 9 p.m. ET Mondays on NBC, streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.

The Voice’s revamped Season 29 is underway, with some pretty major changes to the competition’s structure, including the impending return of some past fan favorites and only featuring three coaches this season. The Voice has leaned into Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine and John Legend not having a fourth superstar to compete against by initiating a new twist — the Triple Turn Competition — but I can’t help but think the prize is not significant enough to justify all of the hype.

Four Chair Turns have always been a big deal on The Voice, and that makes sense because of how often they produce the season’s eventual winner. The coaches wear it like a badge of honor when they’re able to convince an artist to join their team over the other three, so in that respect, I like the idea of attaching a prize to whoever can do it the most. However, they’re going way overboard in terms of how much of a difference this prize will make in the competition.

Let me break it down. When The Voice Season 29 Blind Auditions wrap (which will be the next episode to hit the 2026 TV schedule on March 9), whichever coach has won the most Three Chair Turns will earn a Super Steal for the Battles. That means they can immediately secure an eliminated artist from another team, bypassing any other coaches' steal attempts.

However, with just three coaches this season and no Saves, the mentor with the Super Steal will — at most — be going up against one other coach. So the big advantage is getting an artist that they already had a 50% chance at anyway. That’s kind of underwhelming, especially with all the hoopla surrounding the Triple Turn Competition.

Basically, all John Legend talked about on the March 2 episode was how determined he was to beat out Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson on a Triple Turn. The Voice has even brought in comedian Druski and former NBA player Derek Fisher to remind us of where the coaches stand.

No shade to them at all, because they’re being asked to break down a very simple on-screen graphic that reads, “Adam Levine: 3, Kelly Clarkson: 2, John Legend: 1.” There’s literally not much to say other than, “Can Adam maintain the momentum?” and “John better step it up!” I see what the show is trying to do with the whole sports-themed season, but it’s just simply not worthy of such fanfare.

It would be different if there were still four coaches, and the Super Steal had the power to override two other coaches’ regular Steals. Also, if the Super Steal were given in addition to the competition winner’s regular Steal, thus adding a team member for that person to take into the Knockouts, that would be major.

As it is, though, the Triple Turn Competition is underwhelming with such low stakes that it’s increasingly bothersome how much emphasis is being put on it during the Blind Auditions. At least the first round of competition is almost over. Tune in to see how the teams fill out when The Voice continues at 9 p.m. ET Monday, March 9, on NBC and streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.

The Kelly Clarkson Show is set to air its final episode on the 2026 TV schedule later this year, giving the eponymous host more time to focus on her children following the death of their father, Brandon Blackstock. Just because it was her decision to quit the show, however, doesn’t make it a whole lot easier, and Kelly Clarkson opened up recently about the stress that comes with “job loss.”

Kelly Clarkson got real about her decision to end her talk show after seven years while speaking on Sirius XM’s Morning Mashup, and, apparently, even being rich and famous doesn’t shield you from the pains of making such a huge change. She said (via ET):

Job loss is one of the most stressful things a person can go through in life, along with the death of a loved one and moving, so Kelly Clarkson and her two children — 11-year-old River and 9-year-old Remington — have had quite an eventful few years.

However, it’s not like the American Idol OG doesn’t know where her next paycheck is coming from. Kelly Clarkson said she’ll continue to do things she loves, like make music and perform, and she’ll likely continue to pop up as a coach on The Voice every once in a while. Not having to worry about finances takes away a good bit of the pressure that makes job loss so stressful to people, but she also pointed out that she had to consider what her decision meant for her talk show’s crew, who — let’s not forget — relocated from Los Angeles to New York less than three years ago.

It just all comes back to doing what’s best for her kids, and you’ve got to respect Kelly Clarkson putting motherhood above all of her other jobs and making sure she’s more present with them during this terrible time. She’s spoken a bit about how River and Remy are doing since Brandon Blackstock died in August after a long, private battle with cancer. Apparently, they’ve been getting lots of snuggle time in, as Clarkson has been letting them sleep in her bed.

As for what will happen to The Kelly Clarkson Show’s coveted timeslot, no official decision has yet been made. As rumors spread last year that Kelly Clarkson wanted to leave TV, Hoda Kotb’s name was said to be on a list of possible replacements, as she’d exited The Today Show months earlier. However, Kotb personally denied the reports, and that was long before she returned to NBC to fill in for Savannah Guthrie as she continues to deal with the disappearance of her 84-year-old mother.

The latest speculation is that P!nk may be tapped to fill Kelly Clarkson’s spot, as the “So What” singer will serve as a guest host on The Kelly Clarkson Show this week. It’s certainly possible that this is an audition of sorts to see if P!nk is a good fit to take over full time.

Check your local listings to see when The Kelly Clarkson Show airs in your area, not just for P!nk’s upcoming episodes but to see Kelly Clarkson’s final days during this stressful time.

At the top of February, we learned that The Kelly Clarkson Show is set to air its last episode during the 2026 TV schedule after seven years on NBC. The daytime talk show host called the move “not an easy decision” amidst the news, but the right call for her family right now in the wake of the death of her ex-husband and father of her two kids. Now, apparently, the network is already looking “hard” at Pink for her replacement.

Pink is set to temporarily replace Kelly Clarkson as the show’s host next week for a special round of episodes focused on Women’s History Month. And per TMZ, NBC is allegedly starting to consider the singer to take over The Kelly Clarkson Show slot. As one source said:

The report notes that the 46-year-old singer, who came up in music around the same time as Clarkson, has a ”natural and friendly” presence that makes her a good candidate to fill the void that Clarkson will leave on daytime television after her show ends this fall. The Kelly Clarkson Show staff is also apparently very into the prospect as well. As the source also claimed:

We’ll have to see how Pink does this upcoming week when she hosts The Kelly Clarkson Show. Perhaps her guest appearance is by design to audition for the next daytime talk show position, as is? Check out Kelly Clarkson introducing Pink ahead of passing the baton for the next week:

During the sweet moment, Pink commented that hosting the talk show is “way outside [her] wheelhouse” before Clarkson suggested the gig is “way outside” hers as well. Pink told the host she’s “freaking great at it” before moving to the side with a clipboard to take notes on how to follow Clarkson as her temporary replacement.

Time will tell how things shake out once The Kelly Clarkson Show concludes later this year, but if Pink is, in fact, being looked at, how cool is it that she’ll get a little tryout? It’ll be sad to see Clarkson’s show go, but it has been on the air since the fall of 2019, all the while she has been doing other gigs like The Voice, making two new albums, having a Las Vegas residency, and hosting a new show called Songs & Stories with Kelly Clarkson.

Following the announcement of her exit from The Kelly Clarkson Show, the singer and host has said the reason for her exit was that there was “just too much on the plate” for her, and “it’s time to kind of pull back.” Of course, we’ll be watching Pink’s stint on The Kelly Clarkson Show starting Monday, March 2, as these rumors swirl about her being her replacement.

The Voice is shaking things up for its 29^th season on the 2026 TV schedule, and the coaches are really looking to step it up. In the new season, dubbed Battle of Champions, veteran coaches Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Adam Levine will be duking it out to see who's the best of the best among them. That (friendly) fight is already getting humorously brutal, as Clarkson is trolling her fellow co-mentors over how amount wins they currently have.

A recently posted Instagram reel from Billboard shows a behind-the-scenes peek at some promo for Season 29. The actual promo is meant to show Clarkson introducing a choir and joining them to sing “We Are the Champions.” Not surprisingly, in the BTS clip, the songstress made sure to say that some of the judges have been champions more often than others. Levine, in the background, was definitely not having it, and I just love this funny exchange between co-stars:

The Voice coaches have been on a roller coaster throughout the show’s run in terms of wins and, between the three for Season 29, they have a combined eight wins, including the very first win of the entire series. While it may not seem like much, out of 28 seasons and the occasional rotation of judges, that's pretty impressive. So, of course, Clarkson felt the need to brag that she has the most wins with four. That’s just one more than Levine, and I can only imagine how many times the famous famous American Idol alum has brought that up.

Arguably one of the best parts of The Voice, aside from the singers, is seeing the coaches trolling and shading one another. To be clear, it’s all in good fun, but it’s always hilarious seeing the kinds of quips the coaches will come up with to get under each other's skin. Bringing up how many wins they have and don’t have is certainly par for the course. And, since this is the Battle of Champions, it's easy to imagine that Clarkson will bring up her win tally more than once as she seeks to add to it.

On that note, Clarkson does have a slight advantage over her peers. While Levine won the first season of The Voice, Clarkson won the first season of American Idol and, whenever she’s on The Voice and trying to nab a singer, she makes sure to reiterate that she’s done a singing competition before and understands how to evaluate talent. Whether or not that success will continue into Season 29 is unclear.

The judge trolling will most certainly continue as Season 29 progresses, and I cannot wait to see what happens and who eventually comes out on top at the end of Battle of Champions. New episodes of The Voice air on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC, streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.

The Voice: Battle of Champions is underway on the 2026 TV schedule, with Season 29 featuring just three coaches. Kelly Clarkson may have thought she was only going up against Adam Levine and John Legend, but she got quite the shock when Reba McEntire made a surprise appearance in the premiere. The queen of country popped in with an interesting message for this season’s contestants, and I can’t even believe she did her former daughter-in-law so dirty.

With no country music coach like Blake Shelton or Reba McEntire on this season’s panel, Kelly Clarkson admitted that she felt entitled to country artists like 19-year-old Julia Golden, who impressed both Clarkson and John Legend with her rendition of “Strawberry Wine.” Legend may not be as closely associated with the genre as his Texas-native colleague, but he sure did have a secret weapon. None other than McEntire herself popped up on the screen to deliver the following video message:

The disrespect is astonishing. Not only are Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire longtime friends who have performed together multiple times, they are family, with Clarkson having been married to McEntire’s stepson Brandon Blackstock.

The American Idol champion seemed to have the same thoughts, as upon seeing her former mother-in-law on the screen, she stood up and shouted:

No offense to John Legend at all, because of course the EGOT winner could do extremely well with a country music artist, but I’m just not buying the fact that Reba McEntire would go against Kelly Clarkson like that. Even host Carson Daly seemed to be in disbelief, saying:

Believe me, I watched the video back a few times to see if it was, in fact, a deepfake, and I'm still not fully convinced. Speaking to its validity, though, was Kelly Clarkson then getting Reba McEntire on the phone. The “Fancy” singer answered, though she kept her video turned off as Clarkson literally screamed:

Reba McEntire can be heard over the speakerphone telling The Voice coach to “Calm down, girl!” and ultimately agreed that, yes, Kelly Clarkson would also be an excellent coach for a country music artist. They ended the call by exchanging “I love you”s, with Clarkson saying:

In the end, the big swing by John Legend and Reba McEntire didn’t pay off, as Julia Golden decided to go with Kelly Clarkson anyway. The artist was in tears for pretty much the entire ordeal, in tearful disbelief as she asked, “Is Reba on the phone?” You can see it all play out below:

Even if Kelly Clarkson wasn’t more than qualified to coach a country artist, I think having Reba McEntire on speed-dial was enough to win Julia over.

With no Blocks available to the coaches — and therefore no way to keep Kelly Clarkson from raking in country artists — I don’t blame John Legend for calling in a pro, and I can’t wait to see what other twists are to come in The Voice’s revamped 29th season. Tune in for new episodes at 9 p.m. ET Mondays on NBC and streaming the next day with a Peacock subscription.