Kelly Clarkson Clarifies Talk Show’s East Coast Move Was ‘100 Percent’ Her Idea

When the news of The Kelly Clarkson Show’s move from Los Angeles to New York City broke earlier this month, an NBCUniversal statement emphasized the tax credit the state of New York provides. But in a new interview, Kelly Clarkson asserted that the relocation from the Universal lot in L.A. to the NBC soundstages at 30 Rock was her idea.

In a TalkShopLive conversation, Clarkson told Nancy O’Dell that she informed her talk show crew about the cross-country move this January through tears. “I have built an amazing group of people,” Clarkson reflected. “Obviously, we’ve been very successful, and I love everybody I work with, and we have such great relationships, so I talked to them because I was like, ‘Guys, I need you to know what’s happening. … Like, it’s either I’m not going to be able to continue with the show, or I gotta go [to the] East Coast.’”

Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal

The 41-year-old explained that she felt isolated from her North Carolina-based family while filming The Kelly Clarkson Show in Los Angeles, especially during the pandemic. “Also, there [were] a lot of personal things going on, too, where I feel like our family — me and my kids — really needed a fresh start,” she added, perhaps referring to her recent divorce from Brandon Blackstock. “And I just could not get it here. It was just hurdle after hurdle with things.”

She went on: “I have had such a great experience with all these people and these relationships, so it kinda sucks to uproot it and move it. But that was 100 percent my idea, and it was really cool NBC backed me, because I was like, y’all, I love doing this show. I really do. I didn’t even know I would. But I was like, I gotta make a change for me and my family.”

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As a result of the move, Clarkson will be an hourlong flight away from her family, and she’ll be able to pursue her Broadway ambitions. “I’m in the works of writing something [for Broadway] right now,” she said. “I don’t like acting in movies and TV, but I do love stage stuff.”

The American Idol-winning singer will also be going through leadership training with her talk show’s senior staff, as she wrote on Instagram this month, after former staffers alleged that producers made The Kelly Clarkson Show a toxic work environment.

In that Instagram statement — which followed a Rolling Stone report about the ex-staffers’ complaints— Clarkson wrote, “I have always been, and will continue to be, committed to creating and maintaining a safe and healthy environment at The Kelly Clarkson Show. As we prepare for a move to the East Coast, I am more committed than ever to ensuring that not only our team that is moving but also our new team in NY is comprised of the best and kindest in the business.”

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