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For the past several weeks, Kelly Clarkson has been absent from her daytime talk show on several occasions.
A succession of celebrity friends stepped in to take over hosting duties, and each of them did a wonderful job.
But fans missed the music legend’s bubbly presence. And many expressed concerns about her lengthy hiatus.
Thankfully, Kelly was able to return to the studio this week. But some remarks in her latest monologue have only contributed to viewers’ concerns.
Kelly hints at dark times during celebratory speech
Kelly celebrated her show’s 1,000th episode this week. And while she was obviously proud and honored to have made it so far, she acknowledged that there had been some dark times along the way.
“Welcome to the Kelly Clarkson Show and our 1,000th episode,” she told her emotional studio audience.
“I cannot believe today marks the 1,000th. It’s crazy,” Clarkson continued, adding, “We have met some hugely talented people, tons of big stars and inspiring everyday heroes.”
Kelly noted that she and her fans have “created a community and supported each other through a lot of ups and downs.”
At that point, things took a bit of a dark turn, as Kelly acknowledged that she had endured “a lot of ups and downs personally as well.”
“I’ve lost, alone, a lot,” Clarkson said adding, “It’s OK.”
She then thanked her audience for their support throughout those difficult times.
“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,” Clarkson said. “I am grateful to everyone who has been a part of this journey. It has been such a cool time. Thank you so much.”
It’s unclear what sort of dark times Kelly was referring to, but she’s been through a lot during her five-and-a-half years on the air.
Shortly after her show began, the Covid-19 lockdowns began. And in 2022, Kelly endured a very messy divorce in the public eye.
But through it all, her diehard fans were there. And for that, Kelly is obviously eternally grateful.
“For 1,000 episodes, we have laughed together, we have cried together with beautiful stories, sang together with some people, danced together, celebrated and competed together,” she said on her most recent show.
We may never know why Kelly was forced to take so much time off in recent weeks.
She’s a single mom who’s preparing for her first Las Vegas residency, so it’s possible that she just needed to attend to other matters for a few weeks.
Whatever the case, fans are happy to have her back.
And we hope she’ll continue entertaining us for another thousand episodes.