Kelly Clarkson Did Not Hold Back Talking About Her Demanding Talk Show Schedule While Performing In Front Of A Live Audience (And I Was Surprised To See Her So Candid)

kelly clarkson on the kelly clarkson show
(Image credit: NBC)

One of the things that makes Kelly Clarkson so relatable is that she doesn’t hide how she truly feels about things. As The Kelly Clarkson Show continues airing on the 2025 TV schedule, we see lots of examples of this, and she's probably even gotten too honest at times. However, I was still surprised at just how candid she was discussing the demanding schedule of her talk show during a recent concert in Atlantic City.

Kelly Clarkson made an all-too-rare appearance on stage at the Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena in Atlantic City this weekend, where she blamed her eponymous talk show for why she doesn't get out on the road more. She told the crowd (via Page Six):

We haven’t done a show in a while, y’all, ’cause I have a talk show. It’s like a whole other job.

She also said being a single mom keeps her pretty busy, so I’d imagine she meant those things as factual statements rather than complaints, but they’re especially interesting given the rumors of behind-the-scenes problems that have been circulating about her talk show.

Sources have indicated that Kelly Clarkson is ready to end her Emmy-winning show in order to spend more time with her children. These claims started around the time that the American Idol winner missed several tapings of The Kelly Clarkson Show due to what was later said to be a family emergency.

Kelly Clarkson hasn’t addressed the rumors specifically, but it’s kind of hard not to read into these comments, as she continued at her concert:

We are bummed ’cause we love doing shows, and it’s hard to fit it in, so it’s cool when it does work out with the schedule, and it’s cool to get to see your faces and feed off y’all. Thank you so much for having so much energy.

What may be more surprising than her comments about The Kelly Clarkson Show keeping her from touring is that for the shows she does have scheduled, tickets don’t seem to be selling very well. The Sun reports that about 70 percent of seats remain open for Kelly Clarkson’s Las Vegas residency, which kicks off July Fourth.

I’m not sure that’s good news if she wants to end her talk show and focus more on family and music again. Rumors have spread that NBC is already preparing for that to happen, though, and Hoda Kotb’s name has been floated as a possible replacement.

In addition to Kelly Clarkson's Atlantic City, New Jersey, shows and the Las Vegas residency, the artist is working on her 11th studio album — which includes a single inspired by a sweet moment from Only Murders in the Building — and an insider alleged that the only way she’d want to keep doing The Kelly Clarkson Show is if the album tanks.

There are some pretty tough things for fans to grapple with here. As much as I’d hate to see the singer end her talk show, I don’t want her to feel like it’s keeping her from her family or other career opportunities. And I certainly don’t want her residency and/or album to flop in order to keep her on TV.

We’ll just have to wait to see how it all plays out, but for now you can still catch The Kelly Clarkson Show every weekday. Check your local listings for time and channel.

Heidi Venable
Content Producer

Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.

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