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In March, 2022 Kelly Clarkson finalized her divorce from Brandon Blackstock, after a lengthy legal battle. This year Kelly released her tenth studio album Chemistry and relocated her daytime show from LA to New York City. She’s been busy. With The Kelly Clarkson Show returning this week, post-WGA strike (more on that later), Kelly is talking about the need for starting fresh in a new place and falling in love with NYC:
A fresh start: “At this point, I’m 40 years old. Mama rented something nice!” Clarkson says with a laugh, sitting at a studio just blocks away from her talk show’s new home in 30 Rockefeller Plaza. “I was like, ‘I’m not living here unless it’s right by the park and really nice for the kids.’” Clarkson shares two children with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock: River Rose, 9, and Remington, 7. The pair split in 2020 and finalized their divorce last year, which was partly what prompted the change of address. “I’ll be real honest: I thought I was making a horrible decision.” Clarkson says of her apprehension before the move. “I knew I needed a fresh start and couldn’t be in LA. 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.’” After just a few weeks, she’s sold on the city: “I genuinely love it, and I love that my kids love it.”
Her first NYC show had an audience of doormen: Taping her Season 5 premiere last Wednesday, Clarkson received a rambunctious New York welcome from an audience entirely comprised of apartment and hotel doorpeople (the city’s “unsung heroes,” as she explained). Throughout the episode, she spotlighted Lenny Faverey, a TikTok-famous “dancing doorman;” Correll Jones, a beloved longtime greeter at 30 Rock; and Noel Maguire, a Park Avenue doorman who started a foundation to help the city’s unhoused population.
She made a hard decision and owned it: Daytime programs such as “The View” and “The Drew Barrymore Show” also earned scrutiny last month, after resuming taping before the Writers Guild of America strike ended. As a songwriter, Clarkson could understand what the Hollywood writers were fighting for, having witnessed firsthand the negative impact of streaming and artificial intelligence on the music industry. That’s why it was important for her to shut down production when the strike began in early May. “I felt in my gut, ‘This is what we should do,’ so we made the decision as a team to end Season 4 and stand with them,” Clarkson says. “I had a lot of hard conversations with people like, ‘Hey, we don’t know if the show is going to make it if you don’t come back.’ But that’s gotta be the hard decision, and it sucks. I don’t think people realize, with a lot of the people that got blowback, the stress of that decision.”
Smiling and actually meaning it: Through the last four seasons of her daytime show, “full disclosure, I put on a smile a lot of those times because I was struggling a lot in my personal life,” Clarkson says. “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.’ What’s cool for me with Season 5 is I am in such a great place, not only with my kids, but with me personally and with the show,” Clarkson continues. “I feel like a weight has lifted. That move was very needed. I think the thing I’m most excited about with Season 5, on a selfish level, is just showing up to work smiling and actually meaning it. That’s a beautiful gift that you don’t realize until you’re out of it.”
I hope you’re listening, Drew Barrymore, because that is what it means to own a decision. It was very nice of Kelly to try and make Drew sympathetic by saying it was a stressful decision. But Kelly handled the strike situation with twice the grace despite only being a public figure for half as long as Drew. To be fair, we’re obviously not privy to what goes on behind the scenes. Kelly maintains a lot of goodwill from the public, even when her show was hit with toxic workplace allegations earlier this year. People tended to make a point of separating Kelly from the accusations, going so far as to say they believed she knew nothing of what was going on. That being said, executive producer Alex Duda was cited in those allegations and is very much still with the show.
As for starting anew in New York City, I too fell in love when I moved here as a fresh-faced college student. But if I had to do it all over again, I would do it rich like Kelly, so I could get myself some nice digs as well. I don’t even need/want a place in Manhattan anymore, I’m just hoping to hang on in my Queens neighborhood! The only thing I don’t understand is: why is Kelly renting instead of buying?
I can definitely see how it was a stressful decision, and unfortunately a few people cracked under that stress.
Kelly’s album is sooooo right good, and I’m selfishly hoping that with her moving to the East Coast she will do a concert here and there, she’s one of the few people I would love to see live and haven’t been able to.
I love it! While everyone was debating this past summer about Taylor and Beyoncé, I think the top listen on my streaming app would probably be Chemistry! (Although I also listened to Taylor and Beyoncé!) It’s such a good album! And you really feel all the feels as they say. I absolutely understand her views on touring, though that means I won’t get to see her. I would love to see her live.
If you are moving someplace totally new, it makes sense to rent for a bit, to make sure you have the right neighborhood and schools. Also, she can probably count Montana as her home and write off the NYC rent as a business expense for now, if she goes back to Montana whenever they aren’t filming.
I had the same thought; that Kelly wanted to just rent something for a little while before buying to see how she and her kids felt about living in the city.
Yeah, I admittedly have no idea how to do NYC as a rich person, but getting the schools set, checking out the cultural vibes of different neighborhoods, figuring out what you want the rhythms of your day to feel like, see what directions your kids go in with their different activities— I can totally see renting for a year or more, as she decides how they’re going to live in the city as a family, and how / if that will work long term for them.
The doormen! That’s awesome. Very different from celebrities just interviewing each other.
She comes across great here. I get the “smiling” issue. Being insincere and performing emotions takes its toll when you want to be transparent.
There are so many neighborhoods and schools in NYC, plus the real estate sales market is in flux right now. Luxury apartments aren’t moving and buyers are being very choosy. Plus a lot of old apartments you might want to renovate. Renting for a year makes a lot of sense.
Her interview on Seth Meyers ( and I hate to say it, Jimmy Fallon) were really good. She also did Conan’s podcast and had more time to speak about her divorce and the aftermath. I know Kelly short changes herself as only a talker, but she is a good subject to interview as well. And I checked out the new format there and the change did good.
I love her and wish her the best! She was delightful on The Voice. She had a few live performances where she sang alongside Ariana Grande (I know, boo hiss!) but my god did they sound incredible together!!! They have a delightful Christmas duet that I am so excited to start blaring on repeat in the coming months, but their live performance knocked my socks off! I think it was from Kelly’s recent Christmas special.
Agree it totally makes sense to rent at first in NYC, between the neighborhoods, schools, and just navigating the city. You’d probably be surprised at the number of celebs renting vs owning there.
Plus NYC is not for everyone, personally I’d rather live in Boston or even Chicago than NY, it gives the family time to see if it’s somewhere they want to be long term. And if you’re thinking of buying in a building vs. say a brownstone or townhouse, there is often dealing with the coop board, which can be a nightmare to navigate.