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:
It is so bittersweet because everybody loves her. It is the best job in the world, the best family in the world. Alex Duda, our executive producer, and Kareen Gunning run a beautiful ship, and it has been an honor to be a part of their family.
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:
But then Kelly and I, we fell in love with each other. We created this wonderful relationship. I call her Kelly Clarkson Zarian. And I got to sing a duet with Kelly Clarkson!
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.
