Inside Kelly Clarksons emotional return to talk show after ex-husband Brandon Blackstocks death

Kelly Clarkson is back on air following the death of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.The “Stronger” singer, 43, kicked off Season 7 of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” on Monday, less than two months after Blackstock passed away from melanoma on Aug.7.Clarkson, however, didn’t mention her ex’s death during the talk show’s “emotional” season premiere.

Instead, the program featured an interview with Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell about their new movie, “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” as well as a segment about the devastating floods in the Texas Hill Country back in July.The floods, which started on July 4 and ravaged the Texas region for several hours, left at least 135 people, including children, dead.Clarkson, dressed in all black, welcomed many of the heroes who helped save countless lives during the tragic event onto her show, and she and the audience members were left fighting back tears as the guests shared their stories.The program’s music director, Jason Halbert, told USA Today that the Season 7 premiere was “emotional for all of us.”“I don’t know how [Clarkson] compartmentalizes watching that segment, super emotional, and then jumping into, like, making crafts with kids, and then jumping into emoting a song,” he said of the episode’s taping.Halbert added that viewers can expect Clarkson to explore her emotions via the songs featured in her popular “Kellyoke” segment, which she uses to kick-start every show.The three-time Grammy winner opened Monday’s episode with a cover of The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.”“A lot happened for us all in the last year, on personal and career levels,” Halbert shared.

“You’re going to see some songs reflect things that maybe she wouldn’t talk about verbally in a sitting on the couch interview.”Showrunner Alex Duda clarified that segments such as the one about the Texas floods are not about the devastation of the event but rather how “communities can come together and try...