Overview

• Season 7 of The Kelly Clarkson Show premiered on Sept. 29, marking her first episode back since Blackstock died of melanoma on Aug. 7.
• Clarkson opened with a Kellyoke cover of The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights, reflecting the show’s stated theme of “light.”
• The episode featured Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, followed by a segment honoring Kerrville ISD bus drivers who rescued more than 900 children during July’s Texas Hill Country floods.
• Music director Jason Halbert said the return was “emotional for all of us” and noted future Kellyoke choices may convey feelings Clarkson won’t address in interviews.
• Production restarted the week of Sept. 8 with a live taping at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and Clarkson is slated to sing Walking on Sunshine on the Oct. 1 episode.