After a series of recent absences, Kelly Clarkson returned to her talk show to mark a major milestone.
“Welcome to The Kelly Clarkson Show and our 1,000th episode,” Clarkson, 42, announced during the show’s Thursday, March 20 episode. “Our show premiered on September 9, 2019, with the help of some great friends. Over the next five-and-a-half years, we have made 999 episodes. I cannot believe today marks the 1,000th. It’s crazy.”
Reflecting on the Journey
Clarkson looked back on some of the show’s most memorable moments, including celebrity interviews, “inspiring everyday heroes,” and hosting through the COVID-19 pandemic. She also spoke about relocating the show to New York City.
“For 1,000 episodes, we have laughed together, cried together with beautiful stories, sang together with some people, danced together, celebrated, and competed together,” she shared.
Hinting at her divorce from ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, Clarkson continued, “I’ve lost, alone, a lot, and along the way, we found comfort in one another. And looking back, we are all incredibly proud of what we’ve built and the community we’ve created.”
Celebrity Guests and Future Plans
Thursday’s pre-filmed episode featured guests Tyler Perry and Alicia Vikander, along with a musical performance by Venezuelan duo Mau y Ricky.
Kal Penn served as guest host earlier in the week on Monday, March 17, followed by Andy Cohen on Wednesday, March 19. Clarkson returned for the Tuesday and Friday episodes.
Clarkson’s recent absences, beginning in early March, saw guest hosts such as Simu Liu, Roy Wood Jr., Wanda Sykes, Brooke Shields, Willie Geist, and Molly Sims take over.
The show’s executive producer, Alex Duda, addressed fan concerns about Clarkson’s time off in an interview with Deadline, stating, “Every season there’s been a period where we had to go to guest hosts for one reason or another. But for some reason, this year they wrote about it.”
NBCUniversal’s Tracie Wilson added, “I love that they missed their Kelly, but we’ve done this before. Yes, we’ve had guest hosts a lot over the years, so it’s just something about this year. But people love their Kelly and they want her on the air.”
Clarkson concluded the episode by thanking everyone who has been part of the journey, saying, “It has been such a cool time.”
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