Kelly Clarkson is taking a temporary break from The Voice as she grieves the loss of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.

Clarkson to Miss Season 29 Tapings

According to The U.S. Sun, Clarkson will miss several tapings of Season 29 later this month. The NBC series is filming a revamped format called The Voice: Battle of Champions, featuring coaches Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, and Adam Levine.

An insider revealed, “Kelly will not be at the tapings scheduled next week for Thursday and Friday. Production is working on a replacement coach for her now.”

 

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Prioritizing Family During Grief

At 42, Clarkson shares two children — River and Remington — with Blackstock. As she mourns, she is also helping her kids transition into the new school year.

“Kelly, especially, needs a lot of time to heal,” the source said. The show’s crew and producers are reportedly treating both Clarkson and Reba McEntire — Blackstock’s stepmother and a current The Voice coach — “like family.”

“They don’t owe the show anything right now. Whatever they want, the show will give them,” the insider added.

Reba McEntire Also Affected

Since Seasons 28 and 29 are filming at the same time, Blackstock’s death has impacted both productions. Reba McEntire, a coach on Season 28 (premiering this fall), is expected to miss some of her scheduled Knockout round tapings.

“She considered Brandon her son, not a stepson but her son,” the source said. It remains unclear when McEntire will return to filming, though production is reportedly “working around her schedule, not the other way around.”

Brandon Blackstock’s Death

Brandon Blackstock passed away on Thursday, August 7, 2025, after a three-year battle with melanoma. He was 48. The Silver Bow County coroner confirmed he died of natural causes at his home in Butte, Montana, surrounded by family.

In addition to River and Remington with Clarkson, Blackstock had two other children, Savannah and Seth, from a previous marriage. He and Clarkson were married in 2013 before divorcing in 2022.