After hosting 1,260 episodes of her beloved talk show since September 2019, Kelly Clarkson will bid farewell to “The Kelly Clarkson Show” on August 31, 2026, as the series finale airs nationwide. The first-ever “American Idol” winner, who will return to coach “The Voice” in September, announced in February that her seventh season would be her last.
Rumors had swirled for months that Clarkson was considering ending her demanding daily show as she navigated the August 2025 death of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, with their young children, daughter River and son Remy. In a parting interview posted by “The Kelly Clarkson Show” on August 29, Clarkson said that through the ups and downs of her personal life, hosting the Emmy-winning show “saved me.”
Kelly Clarkson Says She Went Through ‘A Lot’ of Personal Challenges While Hosting ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’
During an in-depth final interview filmed on the set of “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Clarkson looked back on favorite moments, frequent guests, and her popular Kellyoke singing segments. But she also recognized all of the personal upheaval that was going on behind the scenes.
“A lot has happened in my personal life and a lot has happened in life for everyone,” she admitted in her exit interview. “I mean, I think if there’s a word to describe ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show,’ it’s pivot. There’s not been one normal season, I feel like.”
“But at the same time, what a necessary thing to have to come to work and focus on other people,” Clarkson said. “I think that saved me, honestly, a lot of times.”
Months after the show kicked off, the pandemic forced the show to film part of its first season virtually, and then Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in June 2020 after seven years of marriage. The former couple spent years fighting in court over finances. Then, after multiple security breaches by a stalker at her Los Angeles home and a bombshell report in 2023 of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” staffers upset over workplace culture, NBC agreed to give the music sensation a fresh start by moving the show and her family to New York City.
Kelly Clarkson Thinks Being on ‘American Idol’ & ‘The Voice’ Prepped Her for Hosting a Talk Show
NBCUniversalThe final, emotional episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” was filmed in early June. The star’s kids, now 10 and 12, will make their last appearances after growing up on the show.
Ticket manager 1iota posted in June that one segment was scheduled to be taped on June 11 with Joel McHale, who was Clarkson’s most frequent guest across the seven seasons.
In her on-set interview, Clarkson reflected on how she wound up hosting the show back when Blackstock was still her husband and manager. She credited her experiences on “American Idol” and “The Voice” with prepping her for the role.
The idea of hosting a talk show, she said, “was brought up to me with my ex and he was like, ‘Hey … you know, NBC was talking about maybe doing a talk show’ with me. I was like, ‘Okay, that’s the worst idea ever cuz I never shut up.'”
“You know, nobody really knew my personality, to the extent of what it is, until ‘The Voice,'” she noted. “And I think they saw how, you know, comfortable on camera I am and, second, how like I’m all in. I’m very present. I think they saw that and it’s really just me. I’m the same kid (I was) at 19 that auditioned for ‘Idol’ that everybody got to know in the first place. Working with those producers on that show and having to do the little segments here and there probably prepped me a little and I didn’t realize it.”
The final episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” will air on August 31 (check your local listings). Meanwhile, she’ll appear on season 30 of NBC’ “The Voice,” premiering on September 21 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
