Kelly Clarkson Dishes Show's NYC Move and WGA Strike
Kelly Clarkson
Carter Smith/NBCUniversal
The Kelly Clarkson Show moved cross-country for Season 5. Along with it came host Kelly Clarkson. The Emmy winner spoke with USA TODAY about her decision to start fresh on the East Coast and the writers' strike, among other topics.
RELATED: The Kelly Clarkson Show to Relocate to New York City For Season 5
Clarkson wasn't 100% sure she was doing the right thing before moving. She explained:
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I'l be real honest: I thought I was making a horrible decision. I knew I needed a fresh start and couldn’t be in LA. I really wanted to be in Montana, but you can’t really do a show from there quite yet. So I was like, ‘The only other option would probably be New York.'
Clarkson shut down production on the show's fourth season when the WGA went on strike in May 2023. She said:
I felt in my gut, 'This is what we should do,' so we made the decision as a team to end Season 4 and stand with them. I had a lot of hard conversations with people like, 'Hey, we don't know if the show is going to make it if you don't come back.' But that's gotta be the hard decision, and it sucks. I don't think people realize, with a lot of the people that got blowback, the stress of that decision.
However, she's in a good spot now. She mused:
What's cool for me with Season 5 is I am in such a great place, not only with my kids, but with me personally and with the show. I feel like a weight has lifted. That move was very needed. I think the thing I'm most excited about with Season 5, on a selfish level, is just showing up to work smiling and actually meaning it. That's a beautiful gift that you don't realize until you're out of it.
