Kelly Clarkson returns from unexplained absence to celebrate milestone 1,000th episode
Kelly Clarkson returned to her daytime talk show for a special celebration.
The 43-year-old “Stronger” singer has been absent from “The Kelly Clarkson Show” for much of the past two weeks, but returned in time for the program’s milestone 1,000th episode on March 20.
“I cannot believe today marks the 1,000th. It’s crazy,” Clarkson said in her opening. “We have met some hugely talented people, tons of big stars and inspiring everyday heroes.”
The show, which airs weekdays at 3 p.m. on NBC, debuted Sept. 9, 2019 and has been running for nearly five-and-a-half years.
“We created a community and supported each other through a lot of ups and downs — a lot of ups and downs personally, as well,” Clarkson acknowledged in the opening segment.
Clarkson also noted how she and her fans “went through a pandemic together,” among other things.
“I hosted the show with an eye patch and with my leg in a cast. And those were two different shows,” she quipped. “Because that’s how I am.”
Clarkson looked back on some of her biggest moments with the show, including her festive Halloween and Christmas episodes — which she describes as some of her favorite episodes.
She also highlighted the show’s move from the Universal Studios Lot in California to 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City — a move that occurred at the start of the fifth season.
“We did shows from the White House, my Montana ranch, from a backyard and from the rooftop here at 30 Rock,” Clarkson continued.
“For 1,000 episodes, we have laughed together, we have cried together with beautiful stories, sang together with some people, danced together, celebrated and competed together,” she added.
While she admits she “lost … a lot” over the past six years, she praised the community her team has built and thanked her crew — and fans — for always finding “comfort in one another.”
“We started with the intention of making connections and bringing people together, and it feels like we’ve been doing just that,” Clarkson said, noting how proud she was of everyone’s hard work.
Clarkson has undergone several major life changes since the show debuted more than five years ago.
In addition to her weight loss journey — which was recommended by her doctor, according to People — Clarkson also filed for divorce from her husband, Brandon Blackstock, in June 2020.
Clarkson and Blackstock met in 2006, announced their engagement in 2012 and wed in 2013 before welcoming two children — daughter River Rose and son Remington Alexander — into the mix.
The divorce, which Clarkson previously described as “extraordinarily hard,” per People, was finalized in 2022 and was the primary inspiration behind her first album in six years, “chemistry,” released in 2023.
More recently, Clarkson missed roughly two weeks of shows due to an unexplained absence.
The “Since U Been Gone” singer missed a March 3 taping, per People, before returning the following day. She was absent again on March 6 and didn’t return until March 18.
No explanation was given and guest hosts filled in for her during the absence, but she returned on March 20 — with plenty to celebrate.
“I am grateful to everyone who has been a part of this journey,” she concluded in her 1,000th episode’s opening remarks. “It has been such a cool time.”
