Kelly Clarkson was absent from The Kelly Clarkson Show today.

The 42-year-old singer was not in The Kelly Clarkson Show episode that aired on Tuesday, April 1. Actor Kal Penn guest hosted once again for Kelly on the talk show. The celebrity guests on today’s episode were actress Jenna Dewan and comedian Mo Gilligan. Kelly’s recent absence emerges as she was previously absent for nine episodes in March. Kelly did not address the reason for her hiatus and nor did she explain this one.

She did previously host on Monday, March 31, and will be returning on Wednesday, April 2 to host for the rest of the week.

Many were wondering about her absence and were once more, which they expressed on the Instagram post of the show’s schedule and guests this week. One fan inquired: “Why is kelly not there tomorrow.” A second person offered an explanation to the first and claimed in their comment: “It was an episode that was recorded earlier in the month when she was on hiatus.”

Kal took over for Kelly on today (April 1) episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show ( 
Image:
kellyclarksonshow/Instagram)
Another fan said: “So she’s gone again [thinking face emoji].” A fourth fan replied to their comment with: “I know but she a single mom.”

While Kelly has not said anything about the reason for her absence, she did take a previous hiatus in 2022 for the entire summer to spend time with her children in Montana.

“It was really important to me to shut down for a minute,” she explained on the TODAY show in August 2022. “[We] just spent the whole summer in the mountains. It was nice.”

“It felt like the first time my kids felt a little more centered as well,” she continued.

This comes as the Stronger artist missed nine episodes in March. She was abruptly absent on March 3. Actor Simu Liu who was supposed to be a guest on that episode, took over hosting duties. Kelly made a brief return for March 4 and 5, with March 5 bring her last appearance until March 18.

Comedian Roy Wood Jr. stepped up to host on March 6 and he had guest-hosted prior on Feb. 28, 2025. Actress Wanda Sykes and singer Josh Groban jointly hosted on March 7. Then actress Brooke Shields filled in as host for two days on March 10 and March 11. MSNBC anchor Willie Geist guest-hosted on March 12. Molly rounded out the rest of the week as she guest-hosted on March 13 and 14. Kal hosted on March 17.

Staff on the show are said to be “fearing the worst” even with Kelly returning to the show. Whilst the American Idol star was away from filming, there was no official reasoning given for her absence from her daytime NBC slot, other than vague rumors that it was for “personal issues.”

Yet now the star, who recently sparked concern over her sudden weight loss, has returned insiders at the show have said she’s had a change in behavior, which is causing concern. Kelly is said to be different now that she’s back with staff noticing a stark difference following the mystery disappearance.

An insider told the Daily Mail: “She used to be so accessible.” They added: “She’d stand at your desk and just talk. Ask about your life. She knows the names of everyone’s husbands and kids and would ask about them by name. She’d talk and talk, and then she’d suddenly apologize for taking you away from your work. I was always like, “You’re the boss; you don’t need to apologize,” and she’d laugh.”

Kelly’s return to the show has seen her keeping away from staff members, with handlers reportedly keeping her away from questions about her absence.

The employee added: “It’s just a very weird vibe now, and no one has any idea what’s going on. It’s really unsettling. It’s not knowing that really makes things hard for everyone. When you don’t know what’s going on, you just assume the worst. That’s human nature.”

A second employee also told the outlet that they’ve been assured they aren’t losing their jobs, but the lack of answers is still worrying. They claimed they feel like they’re “walking on eggshells” despite being told “the show’s going to go on and we’re all going to be fine.”