Why Did Kelly Clarkson Leave ‘The Voice’? Will She Return?

NBC Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson left “The Voice” ahead of season 22 of the competition show. The talk-show host and music superstar has since opened up about why she chose to take at least one season off.

The singer-songwriter and TV personality says that she wanted to take the summer away from Hollywood in order to decompress alongside her children.

Clarkson made a stop on the “Today” show on August 23, 2022, and she opened up to Carson Daly, host of “The Voice,” and Hoda Kotb about her decision.

“I hadn’t had a minute and it’s obviously been a rough couple years, so it was really important to me to shut down for a minute,” Clarkson shared at the time, adding that one of her favorite parts of the summer was when she “literally four-wheeled in the mountains and walked along [the water].”

Clarkson told the hosts, “My sister, my nephew, and I, and a couple friends, literally spent the whole summer in the mountains, getting out in nature.”

Her children, River, 8, and Remington, 6, went between her and her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, the talk-show host said.

“It was nice because they usually have to travel a lot because of our separation, we were both in Montana so I think my kids felt a little more centered as well,” she shared.

Clarkson Says She Has Been Working Since She Was 16

Clarkson was asked about why she left “The Voice” and about a possible future return to the big red coaching chair during an extensive interview with Variety. Mostly, Clarkson wanted to take the summer off, which meant that she had to take time off “The Voice,” as fall seasons of the show begin filming during the summer months.

She also shared that she wasn’t able to work on an album while she was on the show.

“There wasn’t time,” she said. “And not just because of the talk show, but also because of ‘The Voice’ and ‘American Song Contest.’ I like to be busy in general. But especially when all the feelings are happening, I’m like, ‘Oh, let’s be as busy a bee as we can, so I don’t have to feel this for a minute!’ I do that, which is not healthy.”

She added, “That’s why taking this summer was so important to me, even though a lot of people were kind of bummed because I was supposed to do a couple of things. Obviously, I stepped down on ‘The Voice’ this season because I just needed the space.”

Clarkson Will Likely Return to ‘The Voice’

Clarkson taking a break from “The Voice” does not mean she’s gone for good, however. When asked if she’d return to the show in two seasons, the star seemed to almost slip up.

“I definitely… Um, I probably will be back at ‘The Voice’ at some point,” she said, laughing awkwardly as if she just spilled the beans, according to Variety. “I might be back at ‘The Voice.’”

When asked if it would be the “season after next,” she responded, “I mean, I don’t know!” while laughing.

“The Voice” is set to return to NBC on September 19, 2022. The season will feature coaches Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Camila Cabello, and John Legend.