Kelly Clarkson Draws Concern Among Fans After Seen Wearing an Eye Patch in Season 2 Promo of Talk Show

Kelly Clarkson has sparked concern among fans following the release of a promo video for the upcoming season of her talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show. Shared across multiple social media accounts, including YouTube and Instagram, Monday, the video showed the American Idol alum wearing an eyepatch over her right eye.

During the 40-second-long clip, Clarkson only briefly addresses the new addition to her otherwise glamorous wardrobe. In the beginning of the clip, the talk show host jokes, “Yes, I am in an eye patch. How much more Kelly can I get?” Later in the video, while speaking with Dennis Quaid, she states, “Usually I don’t look like a pirate.” He ever so graciously responds by stating, “You’re the most beautiful pirate I’ve ever seen.”

The new eyewear immediately raised the alarm bell among viewers and fans, who flocked to the comments section to ask what was wrong. Several people asked, “what happened to Kelly’s eye,” with others wondering, “why is she wearing a patch,” one person commenting, “I’m confused why the eye patch?” Even more, expressed hope that “her eye is okay.”

Several people seemed to suggest that Clarkson, at the time, may have been suffering from an eye infection. As Distractify points out, Clarkson herself has not responded to the concern, and it is unclear if these comments are simply speculation or if Clarkson may have opened up about having an eye infection on her Instagram Story at some point recently.

Whatever the cause for the eye patch, Clarkson seems to be perfectly fine now, as she was eye patch-free during a Sept. 12 interview with Sunday Today host Willie Geist. She was also without an eye patch during an appearance on the Today show just days later, suggesting that Clarkson may have suffered from an injury or infection earlier in the month, which is when Deadline reports The Kelly Clarkson Show began filming new episodes.

The upcoming season will be a little different than its freshmen run. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has had continued impacts on most productions, The Kelly Clarkson Show will forego an in-studio audience, instead opting for a live virtual audience, which will allow both Clarkson and her guests to still interact with the audience while keeping everyone’s health and safety in mind. The new season is set to kick off on Sept. 21, with five additional original episodes have begun to air this week as a countdown to the sophomore season.