Kelly Clarkson Is 'Learning How to Make Time for Herself Again' (EXCL)
On the 1,000th episode of her namesake talk show, Kelly Clarkson recalled how she’d hosted the series in different cities, on a road trip, during a pandemic and through a “lot of ups and downs,” some professional and some personal. “I hosted the show with an eye-patch and with my leg in a cast,” the “Stronger” singer, 42, joked on the March 20 episode. Kelly did not comment on the fact that she’d been absent from multiple episodes earlier in March, with the program helmed by a series of guests.
While that has some fans worried, those close to Kelly see it as a sign she’s getting better at maintaining a work-life balance. “Friends say Kelly took time away to deal with a personal matter — a family health issue,” an insider exclusively tells Life & Style. “Taking time for the things and people that are important to her has been a real struggle, but she is learning how to make time for herself again.”
Kelly’s schedule is grueling, with five shows a week, brand partnerships and prep for her upcoming Las Vegas residency, Studio Sessions. “She feels real pressure, especially to keep her TV show a hit,” says the insider. But her 2023 decision to move the series from LA to New York has been a huge improvement for both her and her children — River, 10, and Remy, 8. “Kelly says she never felt truly at home in California,” notes the insider. As the singer herself told Today, “It was just me and my kids all the way on that coast. All of my family lives on [the east] coast. So it just got lonely.”
Now, it’s simply a quick flight to visit her mom and siblings, reveals the insider. “Kelly and the kids are happier, and she’s really taking time to make friends and build a life in NYC.”
Kelly Clarkson Is ‘Finding Ways’ to Enjoy Herself
There’s no denying Kelly was devastated by her 2020 split from husband and manager Brandon Blackstock, 48, which led to contentious battles over money and property. She’s finally getting the hang of coparenting , though. “Like many moms, her life revolves around her children,” says the insider. “ While Kelly still has a hard time when they leave to visit their father, she is finding ways to make that time enjoyable for herself.”
Among Kelly’s new focuses? Boosting her health. Thanks to weight loss medication, as well as making fitness and nutrition more of a priority — she has dropped a reported 60 pounds. Dating again, however, is not at the top of her to-do list. Partly, because her kids are against it. “They’re young,” Kelly explained on KOST 103.5. “It’s hard to picture their mom with someone else other than their dad.”
But who knows what the future might hold. Says the insider, “Kelly is still figuring out this next chapter.”