Kelly Clarkson has returned to television after a difficult break.
After ex-husband Brandon Blackstock passed away, the television host took time off — from TV and from her planned Vegas residency.
However, we reported that she would return despite some doubts.
The day has come. And Clarkson’s colleagues are marveling at how she smiles and sings for the audience after everything.
‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’ is back
Following the death of ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, Kelly Clarkson took a break from The Kelly Clarkson Show in order to spend time with their children.
She already made an “emotional” return and participated in a live taping, USA Today reports.
We do not know when exactly this episode filmed, save that it was a “Tuesday morning.”
The Monday, September 29 episode did not include any mention of Blackstock during the taping.
However, the Kellyoke segments — which, as you might infer from the name, involve singing — might feel a little on the nose.
Per the report, these will “reflect things that maybe she wouldn’t talk about verbally in a sitting on the couch interview.”
The season premiere is keeping it ‘light’
“A lot happened for us all in the last year, on personal and career levels,” music director Jason Halbert acknowledged.
Meanwhile, showrunner Alex Duda said that the season premiere is using “light” as a motif.
“When the world is dark or heavy, [we] look for the light,” Duda explained.
“That’s what we’ve done since the beginning. We wanted to reaffirm that.”
For Kelly Clarkson returning, the show features Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie in a lighthearted A Big Bold Beautiful Journey promotional interview.
For contrast, there is also an interview with people who rescued children during the floods in Texas this past July.
“I don’t know how [Clarkson] compartmentalizes watching that segment, super emotional, and then jumping into, like, making crafts with kids and then jumping into emoting a song,” Halbert expressed.
She’s been back to work for weeks
As we said, we do not know when this particular episode filmed.
But we know what Season 7 production began during the second week of September.
(There is more to production than filming!)
Grief, in all of its causes, is not a linear process. There are ups and downs.
A dream, a poignant moment in a film, even a commercial can hit you when you least expect it.
This will be a process for Kelly Clarkson, just as it is for anyone else.