Big things are happening for Kelly Clarkson right now. The singer is busy promoting her 10th studio album Chemistry, which will be out June 23, all in the midst of moving her Emmy-winning daytime talk show to the East Coast. The host has spoken before about how tough a decision that was to make, and how she informed her crew “through tears,” because of the close relationships she’s developed with them. Now Clarkson has given even more insight into why she felt like she needed to leave the West Coast, revealing that she never wanted to live in Los Angeles in the first place.
Kelly Clarkson’s buddy from The Voice Carson Daly, along with Hoda Kotb, welcomed Clarkson to the Big Apple on TODAY, gifting her with a hot dog straight from the cart, a T-shirt and a Statue of Liberty hat. But the conversation about what prompted the move was more serious, as the OG American Idol champ admitted, per a video from NBC News/Today, that she always felt lonely in Los Angeles. She said:
I think COVID pointed out a lot of things. A lot of us didn't make it relationship-wise. Also it just proved I've never really liked living in L.A. L.A. is beautiful, it has lots of things to offer that are awesome. It’s just never been my thing, in 20 years. I never wanted to live there in the first place. It also has pointed out, especially getting divorced, it was just me and my kids all the way on that coast. All my family lives on this coast. So it just got lonely.
It’s sad to think that Kelly Clarkson has felt out of place for so long, and with her music career, The Kelly Clarkson Show and The Voice, amongst her other projects, it’s easy to see how she hasn’t felt like she’s had the ability to leave until now.
Kelly Clarkson made headlines back in 2021, when it appeared she’d taken a shot at her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock’s dislike of Los Angeles — changing the lyrics of Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” from, “You made me hate this city,” to, “I get it, you hate this city” — but could it be that both halves of the couple were equally frustrated by her West Coast commitments?
Either way, she had no shade for those who love Los Angeles, saying it just wasn’t for her. She previously said one of the main reasons she wanted to relocate The Kelly Clarkson Show was because she and her children needed a fresh start and to be closer to her family, who are based in North Carolina. You can see her full conversation from TODAY below:
The big move comes after the talk show took over the coveted time slot previously held by Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. However, the end of the season saw some controversy, after Rolling Stone ran an article citing 11 former and current employees who said they were “traumatized” by the way they were treated behind the scenes by some of the senior staff. The accusers were clear that they weren’t accusing Kelly Clarkson herself of the behavior, nor did they think she had any knowledge of the alleged mistreatment.
The former coach of The Voice responded that the reported behavior of others on her staff was “unacceptable,” and promised that her staff would undergo leadership training upon their move to the East Coast. We’ll have to see if there are any big changes made, once production resumes on The Kelly Clarkson Show, though we don’t yet know when that will be. Keep an eye on the 2023 TV schedule for that and all of the other upcoming premieres.
