Kelly Clarkson's Daughter Reveals Stunning Height Transformation During Talk Show Farewell
After seven seasons, "The Kelly Clarkson Show" came to an end on the last day of August 2026. To celebrate the long-running series, Clarkson performed some of her most beloved songs and shared memories of making the show, including an old clip of Clarkson's children, daughter River and son Remington, joining her on stage when River was in kindergarten and Remington was just knee-high. Clarkson then asked her children, who were sitting with the audience, to reveal their favorite moments from their mom's show. Remington kicked things off, giving his personal highlights: "I liked talking to Jason Momoa and singing 'My Way' with the band." But River stole the spotlight from her mom and little brother with her heartfelt answer. In a moment that made Clarkson and the audience get a little choked up, River said her favorite thing about the daytime talk show was "watching you shine every single day." But River's loving response wasn't the only thing about her that surprised everyone.
Clarkson then brought her children to the stage, and for longtime fans, seeing River's growth spurt was surely a shock. Just in middle school, River is already almost as tall as her mom, who stands at 5-foot-2. From the looks of things, River will be taller than her mom sooner rather than later. The juxtaposition of seeing River in the old clip to now wasn't lost on viewers. One person commented on Facebook, "River went from little girl to a beautiful young lady," while another pointed out, "River is about as tall as her mama." A third fan joked, "How is River now the same height as her Mom. Omg."
Kelly Clarkson keeps her children out of the spotlight
"The Kelly Clarkson Show" finale was a special occasion, which is why Clarkson let River and Remington take part, and why River's growth came as a surprise. Usually, Clarkson tries to keep her children's lives private, and even keeps them off social media, telling People, "That can be really hard on kids in general but especially kids with parents in the public eye. So I have informed them they're not allowed to, under my roof, ever have [it]." Clarkson knows firsthand how difficult it can be to grow up in the public eye. The daytime host was just 20 when she won the first season of "American Idol," and Clarkson's stunning transformation has been on display for all to see.
Clarkson's wish to keep River and Remington's lives as normal as possible is easy to understand as the two have dealt with a lot for their age. Clarkson and her husband, Brandon Blackstock, separated in 2020, and Blackstock was only 48 when he died in 2025. The famous mother focused on being there for her children during the difficult period. When Blackstock became ill, Clarkson canceled a string of Las Vegas performances, explaining on Instagram, "While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children's father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them."
After his passing, Clarkson discussed how she helped her kids deal with the trauma during a Q&A, explaining there was a lot of snuggling together, while adding, "There's been a lot for our family recently, so I have allowed my kids to sleep with me quite a bit. It's my two dogs, my two kids, and me."