It’s likely been an intense few days for Kelly Clarkson, after 11 current and former employees of The Kelly Clarkson Show spoke out about being “traumatized” by the workplace environment. Her daytime talk show is shut down due to the WGA writers strike, but she had to face the cameras anyway, as The Voice went live on Monday night for the remaining eight artists’ semifinal performances. At the end of the two hours, five singers remained, progressing to next week’s two-night live finale, when we will say goodbye to Blake Shelton.
Kelly Clarkson Stays Focused On Her Team Amid ‘Toxic’ Workplace Accusations
If the American Idol alum was distracted at all by the “toxic” accusations lodged against The Kelly Clarkson Show — none of which were directed at the host herself — it wasn’t obvious during the May 15 live semifinals. Kelly Clarkson was all smiles as Holly Brand and D.Smooth took the stage for their first live performances of the season. She expressed how proud she was for both of her artists, getting up to hug each of them as they left the stage and lobbying hard for votes on Instagram Stories:
It wasn’t just her own team that she was cheering for either. Kelly Clarkson joined Blake Shelton, Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan in a standing ovation for Team Blake’s NOIVAS and even shouted out the backup dancers after the trio Sorelle performed as part of Team Chance.
Following the Rolling Stone report about The Kelly Clarkson Show, the Emmy-winning host responded by saying that anyone on her staff feeling unheard and disrespected was “unacceptable,” and she committed to creating and maintaining a healthy environment.
There’s no doubt that there’s work to be done on that front, but on Monday night, her sole focus was on getting her team through to the finale. She was partially successful in that endeavor, but the cowboy, unsurprisingly, holds the edge going into next week.
Blake Shelton Sends Two To The Finale As Top 5 Are Revealed
When the votes were tallied, it was outgoing coach Blake Shelton who was able to secure spots for both NOIVAS and front-runner Grace West in the Top 5. The remaining coaches advanced one artist apiece — which isn’t always a given, with several coaches in recent seasons being eliminated before the final night of competition. Kelly Clarkson’s D.Smooth moved on, in addition to Chance the Rapper’s Sorelle and Niall Horan’s Gina Miles.
The Voice is pulling out all the stops for Blake Shelton’s final episodes next week, including the return of his longtime frenemy and rival Adam Levine. There will be plenty of other familiar faces in the house, as well, to watch the cowboy ride off into the sunset. The big question is, will he go out on top? The finale will air at 8 p.m. ET Monday and Tuesday, May 22-23, on NBC, and keep up with all of the upcoming summer premieres with our 2023 TV schedule.
