Kelly Clarkson admits she's ‘lost a lot’ as she returns for 1,000th talk show episode after long absence

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Kelly Clarkson returned to 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' on Thursday, March 20, to celebrate a major milestone— the 1,000th episode— after her long absence from the show. 

As she reflected on the journey, she also hinted at personal battles, leaving fans with more questions about her recent, unexplained absences, the New York Post reported.

Kelly Clarkson’s 1,000th talk show episode comes after her long absence from the show

Beaming, the singer announced in a promo clip, “Welcome to The Kelly Clarkson Show and our 1,000th episode.” As she revisited the show’s journey since its debut in 2019, Clarkson spoke about the community it built, the challenges it overcame, and the laughter and tears shared along the way.

“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. We have met some hugely talented people, tons of big stars, and inspiring everyday heroes,” she recalled.

Clarkson paused and added, “A lot of ups and downs personally as well,” a remark that seemed to nod to her tumultuous divorce from her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock and her dramatic weight loss.

With a slight tremble in her voice, she continued, “I’ve lost, alone, a lot.” With a lighthearted shrug, she quipped, “It’s OK.”

“And along the way, we found comfort in one another,” Clarkson continued, before adding, “And looking back, we are all incredibly proud of what we’ve built and the community we’ve created.”

The talk show host then expressed gratitude and added, “I am grateful to everyone who has been a part of this journey. It has been such a cool time. Thank you so much.”

Kelly Clarkson’s recent absence from show sparked concern among fans

Kelly Clarkson’s absence from multiple episodes in recent weeks sparked concern among fans. While guest hosts like Simu Liu, Brooke Shields, and Wanda Sykes filled in for her, the sudden and repeated no-shows had viewers wondering what was going on behind the scenes.

One user commented on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show’s' Instagram page, “Ya better tell us where Kelly is.” Another added, “We miss you Kelly. Praying for you and your family.”

One fan wrote, “We love Kelly and respect her privacy, but y’all definitely need to put out some sort of statement because this is worrisome.” Another commented, “Where’s Kelly???” with sad emojis.

“I respect Kelly Clarkson’s privacy, but I am very concerned about her,” one netizen said.

Clarkson returned for a brief stint but disappeared again from March 6 to March 12, fueling online rumors. While reports suggested a personal matter was the reason, Clarkson herself has remained silent on the issue. 

Despite rumors, showrunner Alex Duda brushed off concerns. “Every season there’s been a period where we had to go to guest hosts for one reason or another,” she told Deadline on Thursday. “But for some reason this year they wrote about it.”

Tracie Wilson, an NBCUniversal executive, shared, “I love that they missed their Kelly, but we’ve done this before. I can’t even tell you how many texts I got from family and friends too. Yes, we’ve had guest hosts a lot over the years, so it’s just something about this year. But you’re right, people love their Kelly and they want her on the air, so we appreciate that.”