Kelly Clarkson Says Daytime Show Move to New York Was “100 Percent” Her Decision

Kelly Clarkson says that being closer to her family in North Carolina and getting a fresh start were among the reasons she asked to move The Kelly Clarkson Show from Los Angeles to New York.

The singer and host of The Kelly Clarkson show recently appeared on TalkShopLive, where she opened up to Nancy O’Dell about her new album Chemistry and writing the post-divorce album. During the nearly 40-minute conversation, she also teased she may be bringing her talents to Broadway as she makes the move to the East Coast.

But it was around halfway through the interview when Clarkson answered a question about her decision to relocate the daytime show to New York. The move was announced earlier this May, with the singer and TV host now set to film in Studio 6A at NBC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

“I even talked to my crew back in January about [this],” she said, recalling how she broke the news while tearing up. “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.’ Either I’m not going to be able to continue with the show, or I’ve got to go [to the] east coast.”

Clarkson added that the pandemic played a part in the decision, with isolation and distance from her family in North Carolina being difficult. “Also, there [were] a lot of personal things going on, too, where I felt our family — me and my kids — really needed a fresh start, and I just could not get it here. It was just hurdle after hurdle with things.”

The host added that it “sucks to uproot it and move it” after “such a great experience with all these people and relationships,” but the decision was “100 percent my idea, and it was really cool NBC backed me.”

“I was like, ‘Y’all, I really loved doing this show…but I got to make a change for me,’” she continued.

A previous statement released by a spokesperson for the show indicated the show would benefit from New York’s newly expanded film tax credit program. The show will receive a new state-of-the-art studio, technical facility and support space.

“As part of the program’s expansion, New York now provides an incentive to eligible television series that relocate to New York and reduces the eligibility requirements for talk and variety shows from five years of filming to two years of filming,” the statement continued.

Following the announcement of the show’s move, Rolling Stone published a report alleging the show’s producers “overworked” and “underpaid” employees, with Kelly Clarkson Show staff also claiming the workplace was a toxic work environment that had affected their mental health.

Responding to the report and posted to Clarkson’s Instagram, the singer wrote, “In my 20 years in the entertainment industry, I’ve always led with my heart and what I believed to be right. I love my team at The Kelly Clarkson Show and to find out that anyone is feeling unheard and or disrespected on this show is unacceptable.”

Clarkson pledged that as the show prepared to make its move to New York that she is “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.”

“Part of that build will include leadership training for all of the senior staff, including myself,” the statement continued. 

At another point in the TalkShopLive interview, Clarkson revealed that she may be working on something for Broadway in her downtime from the talk show. “Eventually I would love to do something. I’m in the works of like writing something right now. Like I am working on something for Broadway,” she said.

She added that she preferred the “energy” of the stage versus TV or film.

“I’m in love with theater and Broadway and all of that. And I never thought I’d get a chance to do anything like that,” she said. “I don’t like acting in movies and TV, but I do love stage stuff, I think because that’s kind of how I grew up, and I like that you don’t have to repeat it 50 times. I want to go out there and have the energy that you’re supposed to have for that show, and I want it to be what it’s going to be, and it’s different every night.”