The Voice is recruiting a former coach to step in for Kelly Clarkson while she mourns the recent death of her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.
As announced in July, Clarkson is returning to the NBC competition series alongside coaches Adam Levine and John Legend for a special eventized Season 29, dubbed “Battle of the Champions,” which is currently filming for a spring 2026 premiere. However, Clarkson will be MIA during the season — but only briefly — as she missed one shoot following Blackstock’s death earlier this month. In her absence, Season 13 and 15 vet Jennifer Hudson is filling in for Clarkson during a battle rounds rehearsal, our sister site Deadline reports. Clarkson returned to filming on The Voice this week, and her daytime talk show is expected to begin production in September, as previously scheduled.
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Blackstock, a former talent manager with whom Clarkson shared two children, died on Aug. 7 at 48 years old after a battle with cancer. The day prior to his death, Clarkson mentioned Blackstock’s illness when she cancelled the remainder of her Studio Sessions residency performances at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. “Unfortunately, I need to postpone the remainder of the August Studio Session dates in Las Vegas,” Clarkson wrote on X. “While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them. I am sincerely sorry to everyone who bought tickets to the shows and I so appreciate your grace, kindness and understanding.”
Meanwhile, The Voice’s upcoming 28th season, featuring Blackstock’s former stepmother Reba McEntire as coach, is not expected to be impacted, per Deadline.
Check out the gallery below of primetime TV stars we’ve lost in 2025.
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