Did Brandon Blackstock’s Death Influence the End of ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’?
For seven seasons, Kelly Clarkson built one of daytime television’s most beloved talk shows. In February 2026, she announced it was coming to an end. The show’s farewell season has officially wrapped, leaving a gaping hole in the daytime landscape. Since the announcement, fans have tied the decision to the death of Clarkson’s ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock. His death is connected, in a way, to Clarkson’s decision to walk away.
Kelly Clarkson announced the end of her show six months after Brandon Blackstock’s death
Brandon Blackstock, Clarkson’s ex-husband and former manager, died on August 7, 2025, after a years-long battle with melanoma. He was 48. His family confirmed the news in a statement, saying he “bravely battled cancer for more than three years” and “passed away peacefully” surrounded by family.
Clarkson announced the end of The Kelly Clarkson Show nearly six months later, on February 2, 2026. She shared the news via an Instagram post. In her statement, she thanked her crew, NBC, and her fans, writing that “this was not an easy decision,” but that stepping away after the show’s successful run would allow her “to prioritize my kids, which feels necessary and right for this next chapter of our lives.”
Clarkson had missed shows over the show’s seven-season run. Still, she had been absent more often in season six, presumably as Blackstock’s illness progressed. In the weeks before Blackstock’s death, Clarkson postponed several dates of her Las Vegas residency, Kelly Clarkson: Studio Sessions. She was unexpectedly open about the reason. She wrote on Instagram that “my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them.” Clarkson also postponed the return of the show’s final season for several weeks as she dealt with the immediate aftermath of Blackstock’s passing. While she quietly acknowledged his death in the season’s premiere, she’s been largely quiet about it.
She has been candid about the decision along the way
Kelly Clarkson hasn’t shied away from connecting Blackstock’s death to the end of her daytime talk show career. She spoke openly about it during an appearance on Today in February. She noted that her family dynamic had changed in the months leading up to the decision, and that she assumed everyone already understood the timing of the decision. Clarkson noted that she’d effectively become a solo parent to her two children, River Rose and Remington, and had to restructure her life.
“You got kids, we’ve all got kids, and it’s one of those things when you kind of start seeing life as how precious it is,” she said. Making the move frees up much of her time and will allow her to focus on her family, while also working in a more flexible capacity.
What will NBC fill the spot with?
When Kelly Clarkson announced the planned end of her run as a daytime talk show host, fans began debating who would replace her. For a moment, everyone was convinced Pink would fill the spot, after she subbed in for Clarkson for a week. Pink shot down the rumor herself, insisting she wasn’t joining the show. There was a brief moment where fans thought Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir would fill in the slot; that was not meant to be either.
Instead of replacing the show with a new host, or rebranding it entirely, NBC is allowing that vacancy to exist. There will be no official replacement as the network is moving away from first-run syndicated daytime content, according to Deadline. Instead, local markets will fill the slot with their own content.
