Kelly Clarkson Opens Up About Struggling in Los Angeles in Recent Years

Kelly Clarkson decided she needed to "Breakaway" from L.A.

In fact, the "Stronger" singer explained that that's why she decided to make the unexpected decision to relocate her popular talk show, aptly titled The Kelly Clarkson Show, from Los Angeles to New York City.

On Thursday, June 22, the American Idol alum stopped by the Today show and revealed that she never really loved living in Hollywood. "I think COVID pointed out a lot of things. A lot of us didn't make it relationship-wise," she started off, referencing her split from Brandon Blackstock, with whom she shares children River, 9, and Remy, 7.

Clarkson continued, "Also it just proved I've never really liked living in L.A."

While she noted that the entertainment capital is "beautiful" and "awesome," she added, "It's just never been my thing, in 20 years. I never wanted to live there in the first place."

Clarkson also noted that most of her family resides on the East Coast, playing a factor in her decision.

"So it just got lonely," she further shared. "And I have been honest on The Voice with that, I'm lonely there. Not as in like, I need a boyfriend kind of thing, lonely as in like, you miss your family, you miss just having any family or that kind of relationship."

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News of Clarkson's show's relocation broke in May, with NBC confirming that the upcoming fifth season would take place in New York City this fall.

As for why she settled on the Big Apple instead of another East Coast city? She told Andy Cohen in a separate interview this week, "We go nowhere in L.A. I came here and this is what won me over."

"I came here and I was like, 'Why have I never lived here?'" she said. "I know why. My ex does not like living in a city like this, but I just never had done it and I literally called one of the [network] heads and was like, 'Listen, my life has been a dumpster fire and I'm really unhappy in L.A., and I don’t know if I'll continue in L.A. What are our thoughts about possible moving this to New York?'"

Thankfully, as Clarkson put it, the network was "highly supportive."

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