The truth behind Kelly Clarkson's worrying absence from her talk show revealed
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Kelly Clarkson's loyal fans have become increasingly concerned over her extended absence from her eponymous talk show in recent days.
The 42-year-old singer has been notably missing from The Kelly Clarkson Show since early last week, but so far neither she nor the show have bothered to explain the reason for her absence to viewers.
Adding to the confusion was Simu Liu's impromptu guest-hosting gig on the March 3 show, which he admitted he only found out about 'five minutes' before he was supposed to go on.
But now Kelly's disappearing act has finally been explained.
Sources described as having direct knowledge of the matter told TMZ on Wednesday that Kelly has been off the air because she's dealing with a personal matter.
And fans won't have to wait much longer, as Kelly is reportedly set to return to hosting duties starting with her Thursday, March 13 show.
Kelly Clarkson's loyal fans have become increasingly concerned over her extended absence from her eponymous talk show since early last week — and neither she nor her show have explained why she's missing; seen in October 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio
But sources told TMZ on Wednesday that Kelly is fine and has been dealing with a personal matter that 'does not directly involve her'; pictured on The Kelly Clarkson Show
DailyMail.com has reached out to Kelly's representative for comment.
So far, there aren't details on what issue Kelly was attending to, though she may update her fans upon her return considering the level of concern for her they displayed on social media.
Although Kelly had to have Simu fill in for her on March 3, she did manage to return for her shows on the following two days.
The Marvel star was only supposed to be a guest that day, but he proved to be a good sport when the show needed a quick fill-in.
'Kelly actually isn’t able to make it today,' he announced to the studio audience. 'We are sending her our very best, and here’s the thing –– I did not know that I was doing this until about five minutes ago when I arrived here to promote my new movie, Last Breath.'
However, aside from her two-day return last week, Kelly has been missing from her show since February 27.
Amid the absences, some fans had wondered if the American Idol star might be dealing with health issues, but the sources indicated that she was fine.
In addition to Liu, the Daily Show's Roy Wood Jr. covered for Kelly on February 28 and then again on March 6.
On March 3, Simu Liu — who was supposed to be a guest promoting his new film — admitted he was asked to host 'five minutes' before he was scheduled to go on; seen February 25 in NYC
Kelly returned the following two days, but she has otherwise been absent since February 27; seen in September in NYC
However, she will reportedly be back on the air on Thursday, March 13, but it's unclear if the scheduled guest hosts through next year have been canceled or if she's waiting for a full return; seen in October in Cleveland, Ohio
March 7 got a double dose of hosts with Wanda Sykes and Josh Groban sharing the duties.
During their stint, Wanda joked that The Kelly Clarkson Show was throwing a 'Hostapalooza' festival.
Brooke Shields started off this week by handling Monday and Tuesday's show, and Willie Geist managed Wednesday's episode.
Despite news of Kelly's return, the show's schedule indicates that Molly Sims would host the Thursday and Friday episodes of this week.
While Kelly was listed as returning to host on March 18, 20 and 21, Kal Penn and Andy Cohen were set to host the remaining two episodes for next week.
It's unclear if Kelly will be returning full time now and those guest-hosting spots have been canceled, or if the hosts will now be guests, in a reversal of Simu's experience.
Kelly may also be checking in with her fans before returning full time to hosting.
