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:
Kelly will be fine. She's Kelly Clarkson. She can make another album, tour, do Vegas or return to The Voice. But these people have mortgages, children and health insurance. They don't have Kelly Clarkson money.
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:
Where is the help for the people who spent seven years helping make her show a success? Everyone is terrified.
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.
