Overview

• The NBC show aired Sept. 29, marking Clarkson’s first TV appearance since ex-husband Brandon Blackstock died of melanoma on Aug. 7.
• Clarkson did not address the loss on-air during the premiere.
• Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell joined for a light opening interview before Kerrville ISD bus drivers recounted rescuing more than 900 children during July’s Texas Hill Country floods.
• Clarkson performed The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” for “Kellyoke,” with “Walking on Sunshine” slated for the Oct. 1 episode.
• The live-taped premiere was recorded at 30 Rockefeller Plaza as production resumed in early September, with producers framing the season’s tone as “light” and songs as a channel for unspoken emotions.