Kelly Clarkson’s ‘The Voice’ Return Concerns Insiders: ‘Stretched Too Thin’

Kelly Clarkson is set to return to The Voice, but she’s already raising concerns.

It was recently announced that Clarkson will be returning as a coach for Season 29, dubbed The Voice: Battle of Champions, alongside John Legend and Adam Levine.

The American Idol winner was initially a coach from Season 14 through Season 21 but returned for Season 23. Throughout her time on The Voice, she won four seasons and is looking for Team Kelly to take it all again next year. Reportedly, though, insiders worry about the effects this could have on her, telling Shuter Scoop that she’s close to burnout.

“She’s running on empty,” said a longtime friend. “She looks fabulous, but she’s stretched too thin.” Clarkson is currently juggling mom duties with her talk show, which films in New York. And with The Voice filming at Universal Studios Hollywood, there will likely be a lot of back-and-forth depending on how her schedule looks. But Clarkson is “trying to do it all,” according to one source. “But even Kelly has limits.”

Another insider said that although Clarkson is “a pro,” they suggest she “needs rest, not ratings.” Not only is The Voice taping on the opposite end of the country compared to The Kelly Clarkson Show, but The Voice’s 29^th season will be like no other. As previously mentioned, the new season will be dubbed Battle of Champions, which will see the three Voice coaches go head-to-head to see who is truly the best of the best with new twists, surprises, and even more returns. A premiere date has not yet been announced, but it will likely be in early 2026, meaning filming will probably start later this year or at the start of the new year.

The concerns for Clarkson are not surprising, after the singer had to cancel the first two shows of her Las Vegas residency at the last minute. She admitted that rehearsals “have taken a toll,” and she fell ill. Now that she’s adding more to her plate, it’s hard to predict how things will go, but it can be assumed that she wouldn’t have taken it on if it were too much for her. She does reportedly want to quit her talk show, so that might also be a factor.