Kelly Clarkson Explains Why She’s Leaving ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ After 7 Seasons

Kelly Clarkson is opening up about the decision to end her talk show after seven seasons.

The Grammy-winning singer spoke about the “timing” of the show’s ending during a sit-down on the TODAY show Friday, revealing that she was looking to spend more time with her two children after the death of their father, her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.

“I think everybody probably gets the timing,” Clarkson told Carson Daly. “Our family life, the dynamic changed a bit, and it has changed for a minute now. You got kids, we’ve all got kids, and it’s one of those things when you kind of start seeing life as how precious it is, too. It’s like, ‘You know what, I’m really busy.’”

Clarkson shared daughter River Rose, 11, and son Remy, 9, with Blackstock prior to his death in August 2025 after being diagnosed with melanoma.

“I was like, ‘I know everybody thinks she’s like quitting,’” Clarkson said of the show. “I’m like, ‘I still have other jobs, so I’m still doing stuff.’ There’s just too much on the plate, so I was like, you know what, it’s time to pull back.”

Despite the clarity Clarkson felt about ending the show, she said the actual decision was a difficult one to make. “That’s what was really hard,” she said. “I work with a lot of people here, too. The crew’s been incredible; it wasn’t that the show isn’t doing well. That’s what kind of sucked, everything was going well, and that’s what was really hard.” The American Idol winner added, “That was a really hard thing for me, but an easy decision as a momma.”

Clarkson announced earlier this month that The Kelly Clarkson Show would be coming to an end after Season 7, writing in a message on social media that she was looking to “prioritize [her] kids.”

“I have been extremely fortunate to work with such an outstanding group of people at The Kelly Clarkson Show, both in Los Angeles and New York,” she wrote at the time. “There have been so many amazing moments and shows over these seven seasons.”

The “Breakaway” singer added that she was “forever grateful and honored to have worked alongside the greatest band and crew you could hope for” as well as “all the talent and inspiring people who have shared their time and lives with us.”

Thanking everyone who has supported the NBC talk show since its 2019 premiere, Clarkson wrote, “Because of all of that, this was not an easy decision, but this season will be my last hosting The Kelly Clarkson Show.”

While this is the end of her talk show, Clarkson assured it wasn’t “goodbye.”

“I’ll still be making music, playing shows here and there and you may catch me on The Voice from time to time … you never know where I might show up next,” she said, concluding, “But for now, I want to thank y’all so much for allowing our show to be a part of your lives, and for believing in us and hanging with us for seven incredible years.”