Kelly Clarkson Shares Why Daughter River Was Having A Hard Time Accepting Move To Other Side Of The Country

Jul 04, 2023

Kelly Clarkson first became a household name in 2002 following her win on the hit competition series “American Idol.” Since then, the singer has sold millions of copies of her albums and toured across the world. Some of her most notable hits include “Since U Been Gone,” “My Life Would Suck Without You” and “Because Of You.” With an incredible vocal tone and range, Clarkson has easily become one of the best and most recognizable pop stars in the US.

With nearly two decades in the public eye, Clarkson’s personal life has been on full display. She famously wed Brandon Blackstock — who happens to be Reba McEntire’s former stepson — in 2013. Together they had two children, River and Remington, as well as two older children from Blackstock’s previous marriage.

Unfortunately, the couple’s relationship didn’t last as Clarkson officially filed for divorce from her now ex-husband in 2020. It was not an easy battle for the pop star because the legal separation proceedings were gruesome due to the custody of their kids, assets, and more.

By the end of their divorce battle, the talk show host ultimately got the primary custody of their two kids and also won their $10.4 million ranch in Montana.

In 2023, more than a year after the divorce proceedings, Clarkson decided to make a big move in her life as a mother to her children as well as a TV personality as she announced that the “Kelly Clarkson Show” would move from its original studio in Los Angeles to a new home in New York City.

According to Today, the daytime talk show, which has featured numerous celebrity guests since it first aired in 2019, will begin its fifth season in the big apple.

In a statement issued by a spokesperson of NBCUniversal on May 8, 2023, the media giant revealed that Kelly Clarkson’s show would film in studio 6A, which was the same location where some of the iconic late-night talk show hosts filmed their programs through the years like Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien, and David Letterman. 

It appeared that there was a big reason why the media company decided to make the big move. The statement further explained that as of 2023, “New York now provides an incentive to eligible television series that relocate to New York and reduces the eligibility requirements for talk and variety shows from five years of filming to two years of filming.”

In an interview with the morning program, Clarkson expressed her excitement about the new chapter in her family life and career, as she noted that she never “really liked living in LA.”

Although she found the city beautiful and full of opportunities, she explained that it was never her thing for the past two decades of living there.

In addition, the singer also wanted to live closer to her family because after getting divorced, it was just her and the two children on the West Coast, which left them “lonely.”

Fortunately, all of her family members were on the coast near New York City, and she could finally start a new chapter. 

Since the move was already finalized in 2023 and she was about to start a new life in the big city soon, Kelly Clarkson has one major problem, one of her two kids had a hard time leaving Los Angeles. 

The musician became a guest of “Saturday Night Live” stars Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang’s podcast titled “Las Culturistas” in June 2023, where she opened up about how her children River Blackstock and Remington Blackstock reacted to the move.

Explaining their reaction, Clarkson said her then 7-year-old son was “very excited.” On the other hand, it appears that she still has a lot of convincing to do with her daughter.

"My daughter, I’m still winning over. It’s not New York, it’s the fact that she just has friends (in L.A.),” she said.

The two kids were able to finish their school in Los Angeles that year, and they spent their summer living in the pop star’s Montana ranch. By the following school year, the two will be studying in New York City.

The musician told the hosts that she already spoke with her eldest kid and told her she couldn’t promise that moving to the city was “going to be fine,” but rather shared the possibility that things “might be hard at first.”

“I was like, 'So, I’m not going to lie to you, but can’t poo-poo on it until we try it,’” she added.

In a separate interview with Nancy O’Dell on TalkShopLive, Clarkson said the move was a “fresh start” for her and her family.

She also shared similar sentiments about how her son felt about moving to New York City, as she noted that he was not sad because he told his mom that the big apple is like “freedom.” 

Do you think it’s the right decision for Kelly Clarkson to take her children to New York City for a fresh new start? If you were the singer, how would you convince your daughter not to be sad about moving? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.