“I wanna thank you for literally changing the game when it came to daytime television," Wilson told Clarkson while appearing on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show'
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/rita-wilson-kelly-clarkson-show-2-052826-d073e0cb8ce84809aacafa8a378b4b2c.jpg "Rita Wilson and Kelly Clarkson.")
Credit: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal
NEED TO KNOW
- Rita Wilson praised Kelly Clarkson during a visit to the host’s daytime talk show
- The singer previously announced that The Kelly Clarkson Show would end with its seventh season this fall
- Her decision came after the death of her children’s father, Brandon Blackstock
Kelly Clarkson has a friend in Rita Wilson.
On the Wednesday, May 27 episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, the American Idol alum, 44, became emotional when her guest, 69, acknowledged how much she appreciated Clarkson for her contribution to entertainment before the talk show is set to end.
“I just wanna say one thing before we go,” Wilson said.
Credit: The Kelly Clarkson Show/YouTube
“I wanna thank you for the years that you’ve been doing your show,” the Sleepless in Seattle actress continued. “I wanna thank you for literally changing the game when it came to daytime television. The fact that you love music. That you have brought so much music to daytime that you have shared with us. Your voice, your gifts, and everyone else’s and your incredible band. I really wanna thank you because it has made a big change in my life. So thank you, Kelly.”
As the audience cheered on Wilson’s kind words, Clarkson became emotional, mouthing, “I’m fine.”
She then got up from her chair to walk over and hug her guest.
“Oh my God!” Clarkson said, joking, “I’m like, ‘Shut it off!’ It’s okay.”
In February, the “Stronger” singer announced her show would come to an end following its fall season so that she could “prioritize” her children.
She shares two children — daughter River Rose, who was born in 2014, and son Remington Alexander, who arrived in 2016 — with her late ex-husband Brandon Blackstock. The talent manager died of cancer at the age of 48 in August 2025.
“I have been extremely fortunate to work with such an outstanding group of people at ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show,' both in Los Angeles and New York,” Clarkson wrote in a statement posted to her Instagram account at the time.
Credit: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal
After reflecting on the past seven seasons “alongside the greatest band and crew you could hope for, all the talent and inspiring people who have shared their time and lives with us,” as well as the fans and NBC, she shared the news.
"This was not an easy decision, but this season will be my last hosting ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show,’" she continued. "Stepping away from the daily schedule will allow me to prioritize my kids, which feels necessary and right for this next chapter of our lives."
During an appearance on the Today show later that month, Clarkson went a little more in-depth with her decision.
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“Well, I think everybody probably gets the timing,” she said. “Our family life, the dynamic changed a bit and it has changed for a minute now.”
She added that while she’s still working other jobs, when it came to her daytime talk show and putting her children first, “There’s just too much on the plate. So I’m like, ‘You know what, it’s time to kind of pull back.’”
A specific date for the show’s end has not yet been announced.