When the coaches for the upcoming The Voice season were revealed last week, one familiar face, Kelly Clarkson, was missing from the lineup, and it's time to share the reason why she didn't return. During the reveal, it was announced that John Legend, Blake Shelton, and Gwen Stefani would all be returning as coaches. Later, fans learned that Camila Cabello would be joining them as a new coach, and replacing Kelly. Kelly is leaving The Voice after eight seasons on the show.
After joining the series during season 14 in 2018, it was announced that Kelly would not be returning for season 22 of the hit NBC series. This left fans a bit confused, as they were expecting her to return to The Voice when the new season airs this fall. Although they were shocked by this news, fans knew that there must have been a good reason why Kelly left the show after such a long tenure.
According to Newsweek, although a specific reason for Kelly leaving the show has not been shared, there is speculation that it could be due to her busy schedule. She may want to focus on other projects that she's working on, and Kelly may also be prioritizing her kids, She recently hosted the singing competition American Song Contest alongside Snoop Dogg, and she is also the star of The Kelly Clarkson Show, which will soon fill the time slot currently occupied by The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Since all of that is going on, fans are convinced that her time on the NBC series is over, at least, in relation to the upcoming season.
While doing an Instagram Q & A with her friends in January, she hinted that she would be making some changes this year. Kelly stated, "I've decided this year there's just [going to] be a couple of changes for me that I can't say here." While she was fairly cryptic, it seems like all of the projects that she has going on will be taking up much of her time. She may have streamlined her schedule by deciding not to return to the big red chairs on NBC.
Although Kelly will not be returning for The Voice season 22 this fall, it is unclear whether she will return for another season. It would not be uncommon for that to happen, as many The Voice coaches have taken time off and then returned. However, as of right now, Kelly's fate is up in the air. Viewers can tune in and see Camilla debut as a The Voice coach when the series returns this fall.
Sources: Newsweek, Kelly Clarkson/Instagram