Stressed staff from the Kelly Clarkson Show are reportedly relieved by rumors that she might leave when her NBC contract ends next year, as it could lift the somber atmosphere on set, according to the Daily Mail.
The 43-year-old host and past American Idol champion caused a stir within her team after she missed several shows in March due to unspecified ‘personal reasons’.
Since her return, her emotional and unpredictable conduct has allegedly made the show’s staff uneasy, with insiders mentioning that the environment is tense, unstable, and may ‘fall apart at any moment’.
It is understood that Clarkson is considering moving on from NBC when her estimated $12.8 million contract is up for renewal in 2026.
And if she does step away from her show, rumors are now swirling that popular former Today Show host Hoda Kotb, 60, could be her replacement.
The news comes as Clarkson is about to enter a make-or-break summer for her singing career: She is expected to release her ninth album and is slated for a short Las Vegas residency, running from July to August.
Kelly Clarkson Show staff are excited by speculation she could quit when her NBC contract expires next year because it would improve the mood on set, the Daily Mail can reveal
Clarkson has run afoul of the HR department of her talk show for commenting on colleague’s appearance, and says she wants compliments on her new svelte figure
A producer on the Kelly Clarkson Show told the Daily Mail that gossip over the star’s uncertain future and state of mind has left staff fearing for their jobs.
‘Not feeling too stable,’ the producer said. ‘She could bolt at any time. Where does that leave me?’
‘Stressed is an understatement,’ the staffer added. ‘No one likes the uncertainty. This feels like it could collapse any minute.’
But employees are also wondering – hoping, perhaps – whether a Kotb takeover would make life easier.
‘Everyone loves Kelly,’ the producer said. ‘She’s a wonderful person. But maybe Hoda would be a better boss. I know she’s universally beloved and respected by her former coworkers. Maybe she would be good. She sure would be a lot more stable than what we’ve been going through.’
‘If Kelly is unhappy, then she should move on,’ the staffer added. ‘We would all understand. If Hoda wants to do it, it could be win-win for everyone.’
Questions over Clarkson’s daytime talk show – which launched in 2019 and has run for 6 seaons – began during that suspicious period of absence in March.
Earlier this month, she raised eyebrows again when she told fans at a concert that her TV career was a distraction from her music.
‘We haven’t done a [singing] show in a while, y’all, cause I have a talk show,’ she said at an Atlantic City concert on May 9. ‘It’s like a whole other job.’
‘We are bummed ’cause we love doing [singing] shows, and it’s hard to fit it in,’ she continued.
But her comments didn’t stop there.
Kotb (pictured with Savannah Guthrie in 2018) is said to be interested in doing a daytime talk show
After a fan told her she looked ‘sexy’ on stage, the mom of two confessed that she often feels frustrated with having to keep similar compliments to herself at work.
‘Every time I go to an HR meeting, I’m like, “How have I not been fired?”… they say you’re not allowed to say someone looks attractive, and I say f**k that,’ she said.
‘Because some of those bitches are out here working, and we’re trying, and I want every motherf****r that passes me to go, “Damn. Well done”,’ she added, in reference to her recent weight loss.
Clarkson went on to reveal that she had been scolded by an HR executive at NBC after complimenting someone on their appearance at work.
‘Kelly Clarkson is ungrateful, and she fails to recognize how her staff uprooted their lives in Los Angeles and left their homes to relocate to New York because they believed in her and they loved working for her,’ an anonymous staffer on Clarkson’s show told the Daily Mail in response.
Kotb joined NBC in 1998 and quickly became a favorite of both viewers and network executives.
But she stunned fans in January when she announced she was stepping down from The Today Show to spend more time with her ailing daughter.
She also wanted to focus more on her wellness brand after years of a grueling eary-morning schedule.
The anchor is said to still be well-liked by NBC executives.
It’s unclear if she is interested in replacing Clarkson, but there is a growing feeling from staff on the show she might be the better option.
Daily Mail has contacted NBC for comment.
