Kelly Clarkson's Nightmare Continues: 'American Idol' Alum Fighting to Keep Talk Show Alive After NBC Issues 'Warning' Before Season Premiere
Kelly Clarkson is fighting to keep her daytime talk show alive as it heads into Season 7.
Sept. 5 2025, Published 5:13 p.m. ET
Kelly Clarkson has realized like never before that her daytime talk show is the most significant success she currently has, and now she's fighting to keep it alive after long absences and personal drama, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Clarkson, 43, is back at work preparing for Season 7's debut on September 29. However, the Grammy winner's hints about how the grueling schedule was affecting her life had executives wondering if her heart was really in TV, rather than her music career and personal life.
'In or Out'
Kelly Clarkson took several leaves of absence in the spring to privately deal with her ex-husband's cancer battle.
NBC reportedly warned the star that she could lose her show if she weren't fully committed. Clarkson's contract is up in 2026.
“They basically said, ‘In or out,’” a source dished to Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who writes on Substack.
Clarkson was also hit with the harsh reality that her music career isn't what it once was, as he pointed out that her Vegas residency was a disaster and her latest single, Where Have You Been, bombed with just 45,000 streams.
She realized daytime is her goldmine,” the insider spilled. "Music alone won’t cover her lifestyle."
"She’s clinging to the one thing she has left,” the source added about Clarkson's steady and sizable paycheck from daytime TV.
'A Whole Other Job'
Clarkson had to curtail her live performance schedule due to her talk show commitments.
Clarkson seemed to bemoan how her talk show had taken her away from live performances when she squeezed in two shows at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City in May.
"We haven't done a [singing] show in a while, y'all, cause I have a talk show,' she told the audience on May 9. "It's like a whole other job.'
"We are bummed 'cause we love doing [singing] shows, and it's hard to fit it in," the "Stronger" singer continued about how she longed to perform more often.
Rough Summer
Clarkson has been through the ringer in 2025.
Clarkson has been hands-on and ready to get back to work on her talk show after a summer filled with drama.
The "Love So Soft" singer had to cancel the first weekend of her Vegas Studio Sessions residency at the last minute in early July, enraging fans. Clarkson said it was due to straining her vocal chords after her nonstop rehearsals.
The Caesars Palace shows were hit with another setback when, on August 6, Clarkson told fans she was postponing the remaining shows in her residency due to her children’s father, ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, being ill. She told fans, "I need to be fully present for them."
One day later, Blackstock died after a private three-year battle with cancer.
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Clarkson's beloved 'Kellyoke' segment will continue to thrill viewers in Season 7.
The fate of Clarkson's show return had been up in the air following Blackstock's death, but NBC finally announced on Thursday, September 4, that Season 7 had locked in a premiere date.
The Emmy-winning host will start taping new episodes on September 8, with the new season premiering on September 29.
“This season, fans can look forward to more entertaining panel interviews, exclusive celebrity moments, surprise musical performances, and the return of the wildly popular ‘Kellyoke’ segment, where Clarkson highlights extraordinary emerging and established artists and delivers show-stopping covers of hits spanning every genre, backed by her band, Y’All,” the network said in a press release.
Clarkson's early lineup of guests to help kick off Season 7 is a starry one, with A-listers including Emily Blunt, Scarlett Johansson, Dwayne Johnson, Matthew McConaughey, Julia Roberts, Margot Robbie, Sylvester Stallone, Channing Tatum, and Reese Witherspoon gracing the host's New York set.
