Kelly Clarkson is fully embracing this next chapter of her life. The American Idol alum, 41, has moved her family and her daytime talk show across the country to New York City. Kelly’s big move means she’ll no longer be a coach on The Voice, at least for the foreseeable future. Season 23 marked her final season as a coach, and she reveals in a new interview what led her to leave the show.
“Full disclosure, I put on a smile a lot of those times because I was struggling a lot in my personal life,” the Grammy winner told USA Today. “I’ve learned a lot about what I’m capable of handling, and also what you should not handle. That was me saying ‘bye’ to The Voice and having this big move. I love that family, but I was like, ‘I’m struggling. I can’t smile anymore. I don’t feel like smiling.'”
The “Piece by Piece” singer admits that she initially thought she was “making a horrible decision” moving to the Big Apple. “I knew I needed a fresh start and couldn’t be in L.A. I really wanted to be in Montana, but you can’t really do a show from there quite yet. So I was like, ‘The only other option would probably be New York,'” she said.
The “Because of You” singer has been dealing with heartbreaking personal matters behind the scenes while hosting her talk show and coaching The Voice. She split from her now ex-husband Brandon Blackstock in 2020, and their divorce was finalized in 2022. They share two children: River Rose, 9, and Remy, 7.
Kelly joined The Voice as a coach in season 14. She sat in her red chair for seasons 14 through 21 before taking a break with season 22. She returned the next cycle for one final season.
News of Kelly’s exit was first revealed in May 2023 when NBC announced the coaches for season 24. Both Blake Shelton and Kelly were not among the four coaches for season 24. Reba McEntire, Gwen Stefani, John Legend, and Niall Horan are the season 24 coaches.