Kelly Clarkson has been missing in action.
Last week, concerns swirled as the singer turned talk-show host missed ten full episodes of ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’.
Finally, last Thursday, she returned from the weeks-long hiatus. But, as the Daily Mail has learned, it has done little to calm tensions behind-the-scenes.
There has still been no official reasoning given for Clarkson’s absence from her daytime NBC slot, other than vague rumors that it was for ‘personal issues.’
But now, insiders say they have seen a dramatic change in behavior from the 42-year-old upon her return. Whereas previously she would regularly chat off-camera with staffers about their lives and families, laugh and even apologize for distracting them, everything has now changed, they claim.
‘She used to be so accessible,’ says one employee who has worked for the show for more than a year.
Staffers on The Kelly Clarkson Show tell the Daily Mail that they have noticed a dramatic change since her return following a mysterious 10-episode absence
Clarkson wiped away tears during the 1,000th episode of her talk show, and made a cryptic comment that she had ‘lost a lot’
‘She’d stand at your desk and just talk. Ask about your life. She knows the names of everyone’s husbands and kids and would ask about them by name,’ the staffer continues.
‘She’d talk and talk, and then she’d suddenly apologize for taking you away from your work. I was always like, “You’re the boss; you don’t need to apologize,” and she’d laugh.’
Since Clarkson’s return, she’s been insulated by handlers who have kept her away from staff – and who have helped her avoid uncomfortable questions about her absence.
‘It’s just a very weird vibe now, and no one has any idea what’s going on,’ the employee added. ‘It’s really unsettling. It’s not knowing that really makes things hard for everyone.
‘When you don’t know what’s going on, you just assume the worst. That’s human nature.’
Another employee agrees that the show’s 100-plus staff are nervous, but they get regular reassurances that they’re not getting pink slips.
‘We’re all walking on eggshells; there aren’t a lot of answers,’ the second staffer says. ‘But we’ve been assured that our jobs are safe and that she’ll be back full-time. It was a personal issue and it’s now working itself out, and things will be back to normal before we know it. They say that the show’s going to go on and we’re all going to be fine.’
Last Thursday, Clarkson sparked concern with a cryptic comment during the show’s 1,000th episode.
During the celebrations of that milestone, she admitted she’s ‘lost, alone, a lot.’
To mark the historic moment with her audience, she said: ‘We have laughed together, we have cried together with beautiful stories, sang together with some people, danced together, celebrated and competed together. I’ve lost, alone, a lot.’
A source close to the singer acknowledged that the last few years have been tough, after Clarkson went through a bitter divorce with her husband of nine years Brandon Blackstock in 2022.
‘When she started the show, her marriage to Brandon was crumbling,’ a Clarkson insider told the Daily Mail.
‘She felt broken and alone because she could not share the joy of her show with her husband, and that was heartbreaking.
‘She was never alone at work, but when she clocked out at the end of the day, it was just her – a single mom – at home.’
Sources close to the singer acknowledge that the last few years have been tough, after Clarkson went through a bitter divorce from husband of nine years Brandon Blackstock in 2022
Clarkson got emotional as she watched a montage of daughter River, 10, and son Remington, 8, appearing on the show throughout the years
Andy Cohen stepped in as host of The Kelly Clarkson Show during her absence
During the celebration, she wiped away tears as she watched a montage of daughter River, 10, and son Remington, 8, the two children she shares with Blackstock, appearing on the show throughout the years.
‘River and Remy, I love you so much. I’m so proud of you both,’ she said.
‘They’re just fearless and very bold. They’re more like me as an adult, not what I was like as a child, so they talk a lot too.
‘You are what I’m liking today, my little ones, and every day I love them so much.’
While Clarkson’s team may not publicly share the details of her struggles, sources say that she’s on the upswing.
‘Kelly is looking forward to another 1,000 shows after this current milestone,’ another Clarkson source says.
‘And going into this new stage in her career and life, she is going to enjoy it even more. It has been a rough go the last few years personally, but she is turning the corner.’
Whatever happens, her staffers say that they’ve got her back.
‘Personally, there’s a lot of concern,’ says one staffer.
‘Kelly is really loved here. She’s always been upbeat. Always been very friendly.
‘It’s very noticeable that something is different for the past month or so, and we don’t know what. I’m worried about my job of course, but I’m also worried about her. I don’t want anything but the best for her.’
Daily Mail has contacted NBC and representatives for Clarkson for comment.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .