SINCE U BEEN GONE Kelly Clarkson slammed for using ‘ANOTHER celebrity guest host’ without explanation in final months of show
KELLY Clarkson has received some heat from fans for having another celebrity guest host in the final months of her talk show.
While The Kelly Clarkson Show doesn’t officially end until the fall, the singer has already scaled back on her hosting duties.
On Wednesday, the show’s official Instagram page shared a post about Andy Cohen stepping in as host for the day, which ignited fury in the comments over Kelly’s repeated absence.
“Why so many guest hosts lately?” one person asked.
“No thank you, will not be watching, I’m out,” declared another.
“No, thank you will not be watching Wednesday’s episode due to a guest host hosting, I only watch when Kelly is hosting, NO ONE ELSE.
“So Wednesday is a hard pass for me, I’m out,” a third stated.
Michael Urie, Maddie Ziegler, and The Travel Mom were the episode’s guests.
Kelly’s guest hosts have included Mario Lopez, Willie Geist, Brooke Shields, Molly Sims, Simu Liu, Roy Wood Jr., Pink, and Olympic figure skating duo Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir.
Fans previously accused Kelly of “checking out” of her show after revealing that Season 7 would be its last.
Many also expressed their disappointment over the American Idol alum noticeably cutting back on her beloved Kellyoke segment.
The segment, in which Kelly would sing covers of popular songs, went from being a staple that opened almost every episode to a rare instance.
Although Kelly hasn’t addressed her frequent absences, she did explain in her initial announcement that she was exiting the show to “prioritize her children.”
Kelly’s ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, died in August following a nearly three-year-long cancer battle.
The exes have two children: River Rose, 11, and Remington Alexander, 9.
While the show will not continue, NBC has been on the hunt for another host to fill the weekday afternoon timeslot.
In March, The U.S. Sun exclusively reported that Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir were among the top contenders to take over the hour.
Sources said that network executives are eyeing the pair as a second choice after their successful runs on The Traitors and their Olympic coverage.
However, Pink is the frontrunner for the gig in order to maintain the musical identity that helped define Kelly’s show.
Pink took over the show in March during one of Kelly’s week-long breaks as a “test run” to ensure a seamless transition if she permanently steps into the role.
