Kelly Clarkson has been having one hell of a busy year. Between her divorce settlement, a complete overhaul of her daytime talk show, hosting American Song Contest and the seemingly never-ending drama surrounding her Montana ranch, one has to wonder how this mom of two is even still standing. Apparently, saying “no” to some projects is a big part of it, and the American Idol winner did that recently when announcing that she will not be returning to The Voice this fall. Instead, Clarkson said she’s cleared her schedule to fill the summer with quality time alongside her two kids.
As The Kelly Clarkson Show prepares to take over the time slot vacated by The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which wrapped in May after 19 seasons, the singer announced she was leaving The Voice ahead of Season 22, with former Battle Round adviser Camila Cabello replacing her in the Big Red Chairs. While some fans might be disappointed that Kelly Clarkson won’t be back to defend her title against rival Blake Shelton — as well as Gwen Stefani and John Legend — her fans have seen the emotional toll her long divorce took on her, and we really can’t blame Clarkson for taking advantage of any downtime she can get. Telling E! News that she is taking a much-needed break, Clarkson said:
The first time since I’m 16 years old, I am taking my summer off. And it’s one of those things, I feel bad because things come up, but at some point, you know, you’ve just got to be able to, like, set the dates and say nothing will interfere with this time. Because it’s precious, and especially for a single, working mom, like, it’s exhausting, like you go to work and you come home. You’re constantly on, like, doing something, and it’s nice, you know?
Any working parent knows how challenging it can be to find time to step away from the grind to spend with your family, and how difficult balancing such responsibilies is. It’s also so hard to say no to big career offers, and it couldn’t have been easy for Kelly Clarkson to decide to hang up her oversized belts for The Voice’s 22nd season. I’m happy for her that she did, though, because she definitely deserve to enjoy their summer break with her little ones.
So what’s on the agenda? Looks like some quality time on the ranch is in the works, according to the “Since U Been Gone” singer:
I’m just gonna have time with my kids out on my ranch in Montana, and we’re just gonna be doing nothing. Like, you know, riding around on four-wheelers and taking picnics, and hiking and cooking and just doing fun stuff. So you know, scavenger hunts, that kind of stuff. Like stuff we love to do that we don’t always have time when we’re balancing and juggling everything.
It sounds like Kelly Clarkson isn’t quite done with that Montana ranch after all. During the contentious divorce proceedings between the talk show host and Brandon Blackstock, Clarkson expressed interest in selling the Montana property, while Blackstock wanted to continue to maintain residence there. In the end, Reba McEntire’s stepson was allowed to stay on the ranch temporarily while looking for another place to live. He was to be moved out by June 1, 2022. Maybe Clarkson wants to reassert her presence on the property before making any final decisions on that front. If this summer turns out to be pure magic, she might want to keep it around for the future.
Fans of The Voice will certainly miss her on the singing competition, but it will be exciting to see what changes she brings to The Kelly Clarkson Show, and hopefully this summer break in Montana will give her the opportunity to recover and recharge — just watch out for those mysterious black holes.
Check your local listings to see when The Kelly Clarkson Show plays in your area, and also take a look at our 2022 TV Schedule to see what shows are premiering soon.
