Kelly Clarkson found happiness in New York after leaving L.A.

Kelly Clarkson, the Grammy-winning singer and Emmy-winning talk show host, has found a new home in New York City after leaving Los Angeles, where she says she was unhappy for years.

The 41-year-old star moved to the Big Apple with her two kids, River Rose, 9, and Remington Alexander, 7, whom she shares with her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, 47. She made the decision after realizing that her hit show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, could be based in New York instead of L.A.

“I was very unhappy in L.A. and had been for several years. I needed a fresh start,” she says. “We told NBC, ‘I’m not trying to sound ungrateful, I just can’t stay here anymore for my mental health; for me and my kids.’ They weren’t doing well either.”

Clarkson, who filed for divorce from Blackstock, her former manager, in June 2020, says the move has been a positive change for her and her family. She says her son Remington felt at home in New York right away. “[Remington] walked out of the school here and was like, ‘This is where I should be.’ And he’s 7,” she says. “So it’s amazing that work is going well, but as a mom, that’s a win for your kid.”

The singer, who is also a coach on The Voice, says she is looking forward to the fifth season of her talk show, which premiered on Sept. 13. The show recently won six Daytime Emmys, including outstanding daytime talk series and host. Clarkson says she is excited to be “present” on the show, after going through a “really rough few years” and “compartmentalizing” her emotions.

“Just to be able to come into season 5 feeling good and knowing my kids feel good—and the dust has settled. Season 5 is my first season to actually enjoy every minute of it,” she says.

Clarkson also enjoys spending time with her kids in the city, where they have fun activities like walking the dogs, eating ice cream, making slime, and visiting museums. “That’s what’s cool about New York. A typical day here is not typical,” she says.

She describes her life now as “so full in the best of ways. It could be full of chaos — because it has been at times — and it’s not. It’s just full in the most beautiful ways,” she adds. “Everything is hitting on all cylinders. [She looks around the room.] And if you see wood, knock on it.”