Since the death of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson has been keeping busy. In early August, she shared that she needed to be "fully present" with her children during his death. Since then, she's been staying out of the limelight and putting family first.
As NBC gears up for its 29th season of The Voice, many fans are curious if Clarkson will return. The singer judges alongside John Legend and Adam Levine, and has been an active judge since 2014.
According to an insider from the US Sun, she might not be as present this year. "Kelly will not be at the tapings scheduled next week for Thursday and Friday." They said, "Production is working on a replacement coach for now."
For Clarkson, Family Is Always First
Brandon Blackstock, with whom Clarkson shares two children, passed away on August 7th, 2025. He has struggled with cancer for quite a while, but this wasn't publicly known until Clarkson posted about it.
"Unfortunately, I need to postpone the remainder of the August Studio Session dates in Las Vegas. While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children's father has been ill, and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them."
Although Blackstock and Clarkson were married from 2013 to 2022, they eventually divorced due to "irreconcilable differences." Despite this, Clarkson has always made it a priority to put their shared children first, and comforting them after Blackstock's death is no different.
On Angie Martinez's podcast, Clarkson described how her children's feelings are her top priority always. She told Angie, "Every night before bed, [I ask them], Are you happy? And if you're not, what could make you happier?" Clarkson is also great about making sure that the kids' relationship with their father is preserved, despite any negative feelings the two might have for one another. A source close to Clarkson said that "she never spoke poorly about Brandon to the kids."
Since Brandon's struggle with cancer started and his death earlier this month, Clarkson has missed several tapings of The Kelly Clarkson Show. With her recently taking a step back from The Voice, fans are wondering how long it will be til we see Clarkson next. It's honestly hard to tell, as we know that the singer is determined to put family first, so it could be a while before she returns to the spotlight.
Photo By: Getty / Jill Truscello
