Kelly Clarkson Staffers Have Big Regrets About How They Treated Her Before Her Ex's Death
2025 has been a rough and devastating year for Kelly Clarkson. In March, the original "American Idol" had everyone worried when she mysteriously disappeared from her eponymous talk show for several days and was replaced by guest hosts, sparking rumors that she was planning to quit. Then, drama ensued when Clarkson abruptly canceled the first shows of her Las Vegas residency in July less than two hours before it was officially set to begin.
Clarkson faced criticism over her absences and sudden cancellations not only from disappointed fans but also from "The Kelly Clarkson Show" staffers. One unnamed crew member told the The Daily Mail at the time that she was being dubbed a "flake" behind the scenes. A staffer later told The Daily Mail that the rumors about her got so bad that they wanted to jump ship from the show and "were all looking for other jobs" amid fears of mass layoffs. The outlet reported that many staffers were also upset by how drastically Clarkson had seemed to change in the span of a few months, with the singer reportedly becoming withdrawn on set.
When news broke in August that Clarkson's ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, had died at age 48 after a three-year battle with cancer, her staffers realized there was a tragic reason behind her behavior over the previous several months. According to the aforementioned insider, there was plenty of regret to go around on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" set after the sad news. "Suddenly, it was all clear to everyone. And boy, did we feel like s***," the staffer told The Daily Mail. "We judged Kelly too soon. We didn't see what she was going through. We made it all about us. It just goes to show that you should never jump to conclusions."
Clarkson made sure her kids spent time with their dad in his final months
Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock's nine-year marriage ended in a messy divorce in 2022. Their contentious divorce battle was hardly friendly, but a source told Us Weekly that his cancer diagnosis, which came the same year their divorce was finalized, "changed their perspectives" and had Clarkson going "into mom mode." During his final months, she reportedly made plenty of sacrifices to ensure their two children had as much time with their dad as they could, including bringing them to and from her home in New York and Blackstock's home in Montana. "She made a lot of concessions to make that happen. They have had a bunch of family events in the past months that she allowed her kids to be present for. ... She felt it was important," the insider told Us Weekly in August 2025.
Earlier that month, Clarkson confirmed the tragic news that Blackstock was sick and announced the postponement of her Las Vegas residency in order to be by her children's side. The former talent manager's health took a sharp decline, and he passed away just hours after the singer's announcement.
Following Blackstock's death, she took several weeks off from work before returning with a new season of "The Kelly Clarkson Show" in late September and resuming her Vegas residency two months later. During this time, Clarkson's staffers noticed she'd started to bounce back from the tragedy. "She's so much more talkative again," one employee told The Daily Mail in November 2025. "She'll stop by our desks and make conversation, ask about family members, gossip and make jokes. It's like the old Kelly is back again. She has been dearly missed."