Kelly Clarkson Reportedly Tests Negative for Coronavirus Amid Talk Show Staff Outbreak

Members of The Kelly Clarkson Show staff reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus. Kelly Clarkson herself reportedly tested negative for the virus. The show most recently filmed an episode on Thursday and was not scheduled to film on Friday. The next episode is expected to be filmed on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

The positive test results came during the show's COVID safety protocols, Deadline reported Friday after the test results came in. The production then launched guidelines set by Los Angeles and California, and those set by NBCUniversal. This includes more testing and contract tracing. A source later told Entertainment Tonight that Clarkson tested negative.

The Kelly Clarkson Show is now in its second season. The last episodes of its first season were filmed virtually, with Clarkson hosting from home. The show is now being filmed with a virtual studio audience. Clarkson also serves as a coach on NBC's The Voice, which has not resumed production yet.

Clarkson's show is the latest to be impacted by the coronavirus as the country experiences another wave of cases and deaths. On Friday, the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirs Resource Center reported a record of 184,000 new cases on Friday alone, setting another record, according to NPR. For the first time since the pandemic began earlier this year, the U.S.' seven-day moving average for new cases broke 150,000. Over 244,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus.

Film and television productions across the country have been forced to pause due to positive tests in recent days. Earlier this week, the Chicago Fire production members tested positive as part of the regular safety protocol. Filming was paused for 14 days while the staffers are isolated. The infected crew members interacted with the cast and other staffers. Production on The Real Housewives of Atlanta was also put on hold for two weeks recently, ET reports.

During a recent Kelly Clarkson Show episode, the host revealed that her daughter, River, 6, has come up with a unique way to avoid schoolwork during her Zoom classes at home. Clarkson said River will often raise her hand and stay completely still to pretend her screen has frozen. The American Idol winner praised River's comedy skills but admitted she wished River would "reel it in."

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times in September, Clarkson reflected on how difficult the pandemic has been for children and that it has not been easy explaining the situation to them. "...It's harder to tell a 4- and 6-year-old — and then, without terrifying them, that it's like the freaking apocalypse and they're going to die if they take their mask off," Clarkson said at the time. "It's a really hard thing to navigate right now: to be honest with them but not so honest that it's overwhelming and scary."