Kelly Clarkson’s talk show was officially picked up by NBC and will debut next fall. It sounds like the network ignored my brilliant idea to call the show Day-Drinking with Kelly and have her getting drunk with various celebrities. A wasted opportunity.
Kelly’s sober talk show will lead into Ellen and is being described as “a fun, energetic show that breaks with tradition". Kelly’s statement on the show makes it sound pretty traditional.
“I love connecting with people, playing games, music and finding ways to help or give back to communities/organizations... Having my own talk show where I get to do all of these things is pretty much a dream job!”
My views on Kelly Clarkson’s talk show haven’t changed since I wrote about her shooting the pilot. I love Kelly and I’ll probably watch her show but the timing feels off. This feels like something an artist does AFTER they are done with touring and putting out hit records.
Kelly just announced her tour with The Voice winner Brynn Cartelli and country singer Kelsea Ballerini. She’s also back for another season of The Voice (with a panel that includes EGOT John Legend omg can’t wait). The tour, The Voice, AND a talk show seems like a lot. Logistically, they’re making it work by using her tour band as the show’s house band. That doesn’t sound sustainable, does it? She’s not Ryan Seacrest who I’m convinced is an AI robot created in a lab by ABC. Kelly Clarkson radiates joy and always brings good energy. A daytime talk show is a grind on its own. So is a tour. According to Christina Aguilera, so is The Voice. At one point in this rigorous schedule does Kelly lose her joy?
This is where good work comes in. Kelly and her husband/ manager Brandon Blackstock are co-executive producers of the show. They also have two young kids. I’m assuming they’ve worked out a schedule that is conducive to their lifestyle. If they pull this off, Kelly Clarkson is going to be as ubiquitous as Brandon’s stepmom Reba McEntire in the early 2000s. Is that the goal here?
Kelly made the official announcement on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. She told Fallon that talking is her “favourite pastime.”
“It’s hard for me to shut up, though. You have to listen to people who come on your show, and I just keep talking! The only thing I’ve gotta work on is listening.”
This is exactly what I said when the show was just a rumour. Kelly talks a lot and we love her for it. If Kelly Clarkson is interviewing Maroon 5, for example, are we really going to want her to shut up? She’s going to be more likeable than 80% of her guests! Speaking of Maroon 5, at least this means that Kelly isn’t doing the Super Bowl halftime show.
Kelly’s full announcement on Fallon is below, with a guest appearance by Queen Latifah. FINE, if Kelly’s show is just her singing songs with her celeb friends, I’M IN.
