Kelly Clarkson Joins New NBC Show Amid Reports She’s Leaving Talk Show

Kelly Clarkson is debuting a new NBC series amid speculation that she’ll soon be leaving her eponymous talk show behind.

News broke Wednesday that NBC had greenlit the new talk series Songs & Stories With Kelly Clarkson, which will feature the Grammy Award-winning artist’s conversations with Teddy Swims, Lizzo, the Jonas Brothers and Gloria Estefan.

“The conversations are a front-row pass for Kelly Clarkson to engage with some of her favorite celebrities and examine both their music and personal lives,” according to the official NBC logline. “The specials are a forum where iconic voices meet heartfelt storytelling through unfiltered conversation and sung in an intimate, unplugged setting.”

The four-night special series is inspired by The Kelly Clarkson Show‘s similar Songs & Stories episodes, which have featured Babyface, Miranda Lambert, Alanis Morisssette, and Pink.

Clarkson’s new NBC special series comes after Page Six reported in April that the American Idol winner is planning to exit her talk show once her contract expires next year. The “Breakaway” singer was absent for 10 episodes in a row earlier this year amid rumors that she’s looking to spend more time with daughter River, 10, and son Remy, 8.

Clarkson has yet to address the rumors explicitly, but did vent about her talk show’s unrelenting schedule during a May 9 performance in Atlantic City. “We haven’t done a show in a while, y’all, ’cause I have a talk show. It’s like a whole other job,” she told the audience, adding, “We are bummed ’cause we love doing shows, and it’s hard to fit it in, so it’s cool when it does work out with the schedule.”

NBC is reportedly looking for a replacement for Clarkson, with the New York Post reporting that TODAY alum Hoda Kotb is being eyed for the role. “There’s a long list of names, and Hoda is part of that list,” the outlet’s source shared. Kotb exited TODAY in January of this year after nearly two decades on the job in order to spend more time with family.

Stories & Songs With Kelly Clarkson will air on Aug. 19, Aug. 26, Sept. 2 and Sept. 9 at 10 p.m. ET.