'Frail and Distant' Kelly Clarkson Struggles to Film New Season of Talk Show After Ex Brandon Blackstock's Tragic Death: 'She's Carrying Too Much'

Kelly Clarkson is back on the set of her daytime talk show, putting on a brave face for coworkers while hiding the pain and exhaustion following ex-husband Brandon Blackstock's death from cancer, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Season 7 of the show still doesn't have a fall premiere date. Still, Clarkson, 43, is working hard to keep things professional after postponing her Las Vegas residency due to Blackstock's failing health, then having to be there as a single mom to the former couple's young children after they lost their dad.

"She flips the switch when the cameras roll,” one studio insider explained to Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who wrote about it in his Substack. "The audience gets the big Kelly energy. But the second the lights cut, she’s quiet. She seems frail and distant – it’s noticeable."

The source said Clarkson is giving everything she's got to her show, but it may be too much in her currently fragile state.

"She’s thinner, more reserved, and keeps to herself,” one staffer claimed. "Everyone loves her, but they worry she’s carrying too much."

Shuter reported that Clarkson has already resumed taping new episodes of her show and that Gloria Estefan will be the first guest for Season 7, which has yet to be scheduled for a premiere date. The production insiders insisted the shows will be "stacked with A-list guests" as well as Clarkson's golden voice.

“When she’s on stage with the band, she’s electric,” a staffer promised about the Kellyoke segments. “That magic is still there – it’s what makes the whole machine work.”

Clarkson suffered a series of setbacks over the summer, starting with upsetting fans who had tickets to attend the opening weekend of her Studio Sessions Las Vegas residency at Caesar's Palace.

At the last minute, Clarkson canceled the July 4th weekend of shows, citing vocal strain from nonstop rehearsals.

She asked fans for "grace" and forgiveness once again when, on August 6, the OG American Idol winner pulled out of her remaining Las Vegas dates, revealing for the first time that "my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them."

Blackstock died the following day after a private, three-year battle with melanoma. The former couple shared daughter River Rose, 11, and son Remington, 9.

After his death, Blackstock's obituary dropped the bombshell news that he found love again after his divorce from Clarkson with her former assistant, Brittney Jones.

"Brandon, along with his beautiful and loving partner in life and business, Brittney Marie Jones, started building a life, building companies, and working tirelessly to create Headwaters Livestock Auction and what will live on as his legacy, The Valley View Rodeo in Bozeman, Montana," the obit read.

Clarkson and their nearly seven-year marriage were not mentioned in the document, although their children were discussed, as well as how much Blackstock was a "devoted father."

The duo married in October 2013, and Clarkson filed for divorce in June 2020. The pair had a brutal divorce battle that raged on for two years, with Blackstock refusing to leave the sprawling Montana ranch the Stronger singer purchased in 2019.

He was eventually given a five percent stake in the property as part of the former couple's 2022 settlement, before moving to Butte and purchasing a $1.8million home of his own.