Kelly Clarkson to be replaced by A-list star on The Voice as she grieves ex Brandon Blackstock’s death

KELLY Clarkson will be missing several tapings of The Voice as she grieves ex Brandon Blackstock’s tragic death, an insider told The U.S. Sun.

As the first American Idol winner takes a hiatus from the NBC show to focus on her family, a few A-list stars are currently being tapped to fill in as a coach for season 29.

Kelly Clarkson on The Voice.
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Kelly Clarkson dazzles for the season 27 finale of The VoiceCredit: Getty

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
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Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock in the audience during the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on April 7, 2013, in Las VegasCredit: Getty
Currently, both seasons 28 and 29 of The Voice are simultaneously in production.

Season 28, which will premiere in September, is also impacted by Brandon’s passing at the age of 48 as his stepmom, Reba McEntire, is currently a coach.

As The U.S. Sun previously reported, Reba, 70, missed recent tapings of The Voice, and a production insider has since confirmed that Kelly, 43, will also be stepping away from season 29 during this difficult time.

“Kelly will not be at the tapings scheduled next week for Thursday and Friday. Production is working on a replacement coach for her now.

“Kelsea Ballerini and Miley Cyrus have been considered to fill in, but right now, it’s all still a work in progress,” a source claimed.

Country superstar Kelsea, 31, previously filled in for Kelly during the Battle Rounds of season 20.

While Kelly was sick, Kelsea joined the panel as a coach -and kick-started her career on The Voice, which she has come back to many times since.

Kelsea was a coach earlier this year for season 27 and previously worked as an advisor on several earlier seasons.

Miley Cyrus smiling in a pink outfit on The Voice.
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Miley Cyrus stuns as a The Voice coach on season 11Credit: Getty

Kelsea Ballerini on The Voice.
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Kelsea Ballerini as a coach on season 27 of The VoiceCredit: Getty

Kelsea Ballerini and Kelly Clarkson on The Voice.
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Kelsea Ballerini and Kelly Clarkson together on The VoiceCredit: Getty
Meanwhile, Miley, 32, has a storied history on the show after previously serving as a Key Advisor for season 10 and a full-time coach on seasons 11 and 13.

The source explained that the “same thing goes for Kelly” as it does for Reba, as both are considered “family” to producers and crew members.

“Whatever they want, the show will give them. They don’t owe the show anything right now.

“But they are being incredibly professional throughout this. As much as one can be during a time like this.

Inside the Life and Legacy of Brandon Blackstock: Love, Loss, and New Beginnings
“Kelly, especially, though needs a lot of time to heal. They understand that. Not to mention her kids are starting their new school year.

“It’s terrible timing but is there ever good timing for such a tragedy?” the insider asked.

The U.S. Sun has reached out to The Voice for comment.

‘BIGGEST HEARTBREAK’

On Tuesday, The U.S. Sun revealed that Reba had missed recent tapings of season 28 of The Voice

“The team [at The Voice] has known Reba for years. She was an advisor to Blake [Shelton] all the way back in season 1 and has been involved a lot of seasons since.

“So she is just as much family as you can get here. This has been, from the limited info they’ve gotten from her, the biggest heartbreak of her life,” the insider explained.

Reba McEntire TV Appearances

In addition to being a country superstar, Reba McEntire has enjoyed a lucrative career in TV and film. She had her own eponynimous sitcom, which ran from 2001 to 2007, and also famously served as a judge on The Voice. Reba’s acting credits don’t stop there, however.

Here are all Reba’s TV and film roles:

The Voice
Big Sky
Young Sheldon
PJ Masks
Last Man Standing
Baby Daddy
Malibu Country
Working Class
Better With You
Reba
Diagnosis Murder
Frasier
Tremors
The Land Before Time
One Night at McCool’s
Secret of Giving
Forever Love
Buffalo Girls
The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw
Is There Life Out There?
The Man from Left Field
Country Gold
The Little Rascals
North

The source continued: “She considered Brandon her son, not a stepson but her son.

“She would brag about him like her son, he’d visit her on set, and they very much had that mother-son bond.

“It’s not clear yet when she will be back. [The show] has two more tapings for the season 28 Knockout rounds on the last week of August that Reba was scheduled to be at, but that’s it for awhile.

“Everything else will be the live show. It’s unclear if Reba will be back for those, the show is working on her schedule right now, not the other way around.

“The show will support her, and Kelly, any way that they can.”

Brandon, who was married to Kelly from 2013-2022, passed away on August 7th following a three-year battle with Melanoma cancer.

Miley Cyrus and Kelly Clarkson as judges on The Voice.
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Miley Cyrus and Kelly Clarkson as coaches on The Voice togetherCredit: Getty

Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire on The Voice.
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Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire on season 23 of The VoiceCredit: Getty

Kelly Clarkson and her family at the UglyDolls premiere.
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Seth Blackstock, Remington Alexander Blackstock, Savannah Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson, River Rose Blackstock, and Brandon Blackstock arrives at UglyDolls premiere in LA on April 27, 2019Credit: Getty