Kelly Clarkson Pushed Back Her Entire Show Production Schedule To Do School Drop-Off

Kelly Clarkson is a chart-topping musician, successful talk show host, and entrepreneur, but above all, she is a mom who is going to make sure she’s there for her kids. Even with the smaller moments, like making lunches and dropping the kids off at school, Clarkson ensures that her busy work schedule did not interfere with her main priority — being a mom.

The “Since U Been Gone” singer spoke with Variety about her intentionality behind her work schedule and how she is not afraid to move things around or push times back in order to make life easier for her kids.

Clarkson, who shares two kids — River Rose, 8, and Remington Alexander, 6, with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, told the outlet that she decided to push back the time of her hit NBC talk show so that she could drop her kids off at school.

“This season, we pushed everything back 30 minutes. I made that call so that I can take my kids to school,” she said.

She explained that while she wishes she could do it all, she has to work in the afternoons. So, her nanny picks the kids up at the end of the day. She continued, “ ... my nanny picks them up. At least I have the mornings with them, and then I have nights with them.”

Clarkson admitted that the balance between work and being a single mom is not easy, even with help. When asked about the logistics behind the creation of her new album, she admitted that nothing was really planned out due to her busy life. “I hadn’t really been working hardcore on an album until I needed to,” she explained. “I was just very busy. There were so many jobs, and I’m a single mom — well, even with being married, it’s a lot, trying to fit kids’ schedules in and all that stuff.”

Though she feels fortunate to have a great team behind her to help out when she’s traveling or working a lot (and the means to afford the help), Clarkson did confess that sometimes, like most moms, the “mom guilt” gets to her.

“My mom, I did call her once — this was years ago — and I was like, ‘Do I see my kids enough?’ And she was like, ‘Oh, my God, Kelly, you see your kids way more than I saw you!’ A lot of people don't have the means, so I'm very fortunate,” she shared.

Clarkson also praised therapy and how it has taught her that letting her kids see the more emotional, vulnerable side of herself has strengthened her relationship with her kids and with her ex-husband who she split from in June 2020.

“I think the most important thing I’ve learned in therapy, especially through this divorce, is ‘Don’t hide everything from your kids. Obviously, don’t talk about stuff that you shouldn’t talk about, but it’s OK if they see you cry, or it’s OK if they see you’ve had a bad day,’” she explained. “You start to feel that kind of shame, like, ‘I’ve got to put my best foot forward as a mom because I don’t want them to be affected.’ But then you allow your kids to express empathy, and they learn how to say, ‘Oh, man, I’m sorry you had a hard day.’”

Yes! Lead by example, Kelly! Here’s to healthy work-life balance and open, honest relationships with our kids.