Kelly Clarkson fights back tears on emotional 1,000th episode of talk show after bizarre string of absences

Kelly Clarkson is feeling thankful for her kids.

The original “American Idol” took an emotional trip down memory lane on the 1,000th episode of her eponymous talk show, which aired on Thursday. Clarkson, 42, fought back tears as she watched a montage of her two children’s cameos on the daytime program shown at the end of the special episode.

The “Moment Like This Singer” has two kids with her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, 48: son Remington “Remy” Alexander, 8, and daughter River Rose, 10. Clarkson filed for divorce from the talent manager in June 2020. The pair reached a final settlement in March 2022.

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Kelly Clarkson took an emotional trip down memory lane on the 1,000th episode of her eponymous talk show, which aired Thursday. YouTube/@kellyclarksonshow

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Clarkson, 42, fought back tears as she watched a montage of her two children’s cameos on the daytime program shown at the end of the special episode. YouTube/@kellyclarksonshow

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The singer has two kids with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock. YouTube/@kellyclarksonshow

Looking back on the many changes that have occurred since “The Kelly Clarkson Show” hit airwaves in September 2019, the Grammy winner said, “On a personal level I think the most meaningful change for me at least is my own family.”

“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,” she said.

“I’ve actually never seen this,” she added before quipping, “So you’re crying. I’m not.”

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The Grammy-winner looked back on the many changes that have occurred since “The Kelly Clarkson Show” hit airwaves in almost five years ago. YouTube/@kellyclarksonshow

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“Over the years I’ve had my kiddos on stage with me and they’ve always blown me away. So this is a look back on those memories,” she said. YouTube/@kellyclarksonshow

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“I’ve actually never seen this,” she added before quipping, “So you’re crying. I’m not.” YouTube/@kellyclarksonshow
A camera remained fixed on the singer as she watched the series of clips and, at times, fought her tears.

After the montage ended with Remy singing a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s song “My Way,” a proud and emotional Clarkson applauded along with the studio audience.

“That was really sweet,” she said after the collection of videos ended. “Oh, that was really sweet.”

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A camera remained fixed on the singer as she watched the series of clips, and, at times, appearing teary-eyed. YouTube/@kellyclarksonshow

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After the montage ended with Remy singing a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s song “My Way,” a proud and emotional Clarkson applauded along with the studio audience. YouTube/@kellyclarksonshow

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“That was really sweet,” she said after the montage ended. YouTube/@kellyclarksonshow

Checking her makeup in a vanity monitor, she joked, “And, look I kept it together you guys.”

“They didn’t fall,” Clarkson added, seemingly referring to her tears.

“River and Remy, I love you so much. I’m so proud of you both,” she went on. “They’re just fearless and very bold. They’re more like me as an adult, not what I was like as a child, so they talk a lot too. You are what I’m liking today, my little ones, and every day I love them so much.”

Clarkson has previously spoken about raising her kids amid her divorce.

“It’s tough,” she admitted on her show in 2021. “I know with me and Brandon, it’s just a difficult thing because we’re in different places, and it’s like, we both agree on the main things, but it’s a hard thing when you’re not together all the time, for me personally.”

Summing up her and Blackstock’s approach to co-parenting, she said, “As long as you make sure it’s about the children and their best interests, then we’re both on board.”

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Clarkson has previously spoken about raising her kids amid her divorce. YouTube/@kellyclarksonshow

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Kelly Clarkson’s 1,000th episode of her daytime talk show aired Thursday, March 20, 2025. YouTube/@kellyclarksonshow

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Clarkson’s show debuted in September 2019. YouTube/@kellyclarksonshow
“I think the most important thing I’ve learned in therapy, especially through this divorce, is ‘Don’t hide everything from your kids,’” she told Variety in 2022. “Obviously, don’t talk about stuff that you shouldn’t talk about, but it’s okay if they see you cry, or it’s okay if they see you’ve had a bad day.”

“You start to feel that kind of shame, like, ‘I’ve got to put my best foot forward as a mom because I don’t want them to be affected,” she added. “But then you allow your kids to express empathy, and they learn how to say, ‘Oh, man, I’m sorry you had a hard day.’”

Clarkson’s teary-eyed reaction to the videos of her kids on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” followed a vulnerable confession she shared in a promo for the program’s milestone. In the clip, posted on Thursday, the singer said that she has experienced “a lot of ups and downs personally” during the show’s more than five-year run.

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Clarkson’s teary-eyed reaction to the videos of her kids on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” followed a vulnerable confession she shared in a promo for the show’s 1,000th episode.

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Kelly Clarkson and her two kids, Remington “Remy” Alexander, 8, and daughter River Rose, 10. kellyclarkson/Instagram

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Kelly Clarkson and her two kids. kellyclarkson/Instagram

“I’ve lost, alone, a lot,” she acknowledged, possibly alluding to her divorce, though she could also have referred to her 60-pound weight loss.

“It’s OK,” she then joked with a shrug.

Aside from marking the 1,000th episode milestone, Thursday’s show marked Clarkson’s return to the program after a string of absences that concerned fans. Previous reports, however, suggested she was fine but was MIA due to a personal matter.

“The Kelly Clarkson Show” executive producer and showrunner Alex Duda and Executive Vice President of NBCUniversal Syndication Studios and E! News Tracie Wilson also weighed in, insisting the hullabaloo was much ado about nothing.