Is Kelly Clarkson Leaving Her Show? Exit Rumors Explored

Will Kelly Clarkson "be gone" from her eponymous talk show for good soon?

The "Since U Been Gone" songstress sparked exit rumors after she took a nearly two-week absence from The Kelly Clarkson Show in March. At the time, reports claimed she had a family-related "personal matter," igniting speculation she might not renew her contract when it expires in 2026.

Several celebrities stepped in to host the daytime talk show during her absence, including Simu Liu, Brooke Shields and Josh Groban.

Although she returned on the March 18 episode, Clarkson did not provide an explanation for her absence.

It was not the first time she had taken an extended leave from her show.

In 2022, she spent the entire summer with her kids in Montana.

"It was really important to me to shut down for a minute," she shared on the Today show in August 2022. "[We] just spent the whole summer in the mountains. It was nice… It felt like the first time my kids felt a little more centered as well."

Clarkson's return to her daytime talk show from swirling.

One insider claimed the American Idol winner's plan when her contract expires "seems to be a million-dollar question."

"Kelly loves the crew, singing with her band, and interviewing guests — she's just tired of the grind of a daily talk show," the source told Life & Style. "Kelly has a very positive attitude, but it could be that she just realized how much time flies. So she's weighing her options."

While NBC will reportedly try to make Clarkson stay with another offer, the insider said money is not her biggest concern.

The source continued, "And she doesn't want to seem ungrateful because the show has helped her in so many ways. It's kept her busy and sane when she needed it most. I think it really is all about getting balance back in her life."

Even with a hefty paycheck, the mom-of-two could still reportedly leave The Kelly Clarkson Show at any moment.

"She's at a crossroads — she's torn because everyone is telling her she'd be crazy to step away from huge success, but missing time with her kids weighs heavily on her," Life & Style quoted a source.

It resonated with what multiple sources told Page Six, stating she wants to exit the show and leave New York City to spend time with her children, daughter River Rose and son Remington.

"Kelly's number one priority is her children, and they always will be," said one insider. "The show is grueling. It's a whole lot of work, and I hear that Kelly would like to spend more time down South."

The "Stronger" hitmaker, who was born in Texas, moved from Los Angeles to New York for the show.

Clarkson also spoke about her children on the 1,000th episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show. At the time, she shared her family "is the most meaningful change" for her.

She emotionally added, "Over the years I've had my kiddos onstage with me and they've always blown me away. So this is a look back on those memories."

"I've actually never seen this," she said of the montage on the program. "So you're crying. I'm not."

While Clarkson has not revealed the details of the "private matter" that caused her absence from the show, an industry insider noted everything "has been very painful for her."

"The difficulty is that Kelly, like all of us, wants to be liked, and she had to deal with this new moment in her life. She knew she had to step down for a minute," the source informed Page Six. "She has her priorities, and her family comes first, but I think she's been humbled by the whole situation… what has happened has given her a moment of clarity, I think."

Rumors intensified when the Daily Mail released a report about the "Catch My Breath" singer feeling "tormented" over the possibility of quitting The Kelly Clarkson Show. An unnamed staff member also told the outlet she had "a bit of a breakdown" during a meeting with the producers.

"She was emotional. She was worried about the staff," they said. "She's made it very clear that she doesn't want her decisions to affect all of our livelihoods. But it's a bit late for that now."

The staffer then criticized Clarkson for sharing her desire to return to her music career while her show is still on the air.

"It makes the public feel like she doesn't want to be here. And if she doesn't want to be here, why should they tune in?" the source spilled. "It's just not a good look, you know? You don't want the person whose name is on the show to be trashing the show. Some things just need to be family business."

Instead of leaving abruptly, the staff member suggested that the "Because of You" singer "give [them] plenty of notice if she decides to bail" as it is a "decent thing to do."

"Everyone understands that she's gone through some things, and we're all very sympathetic," the source concluded.

Amid the murky future of The Kelly Clarkson Show, several names emerged as the potential replacements for Clarkson — including Hoda Kotb.

In the May 28 episode of Today, Kotb told former co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin the buzz "is not true."

"I want to ask you all a real question. Do you think that if I ever came back to TV...do you know the only place I would ever come back is? Right here, this is the spot. There's no place like home," she shared.

Instead of taking over hosting duties, Kotb noted she would appear on Clarkson's show just "for fun."

However, she seemed to shift her stance while speaking with Andy Cohen on a June 5 appearance on Watch What Happens Live.

"My whole thing with talk shows and all that stuff is that I'm a never-say-never person," said the former Today host. "You don't know what life is gonna bring you."

Kotb added she's "having such fun with the ride that [she's] on … at this moment" but noted "TV is [her] first love."

She concluded, "As I say in life, you don't know."

During a performance in Atlantic City, Clarkson told her fans that hosting a talk show feels like "a whole other job" and that being a single mother keeps her busy.

"We are bummed 'cause we love doing shows, and it's hard to fit it in, so it's cool when it does work out with the schedule," she added, "And it's cool to get to see your faces and feed off y'all. Thank you so much for having so much energy."