Spoiler alert! The following story contains details about the series finale of "The Kelly Clarkson Show," airing Monday, Aug. 31 on NBC.
NEW YORK – Would it really be a Kelly Clarkson show without a couple of F-bombs?
It’s early June, and the perpetually relatable singer is taping the series finale of “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” airing Monday, Aug. 31, on NBC (check local listings). Crew members mingle with the house band as they snap selfies, while a producer walks Clarkson’s daughter River, 12, and son Remy, 10, to their seats in the second row of the pink-hued Studio 6A in 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
As the audience waits for the taping to begin, the kids softly sing along to Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” and wave hello to their mom, who smiles
back from the stage and mouths, “I love you.”
In between segments, Clarkson, 44, is as hilarious and unfiltered as we’ve always known her to be: channeling Will Ferrell’s “Anchorman” when she flubs somebody’s name (“I am Ron Burgundy!”), and cheerfully admiring her own wavy, golden-caramel tresses. (“This 'Little Mermaid' hair? I’m into it. I feel like Mariah!”)
At one point, while recording a promo, she gets tongue-tied saying “Millie Bobby Brown.”
“F--- me!” Clarkson blurts out, as the crowd roars with laughter. “Sorry. My children are used to it! It’s no use pretending.”
Kelly Clarkson cries, dedicates performance to kids River and Remington
In February, Clarkson announced that she was bringing her Emmy-winning daytime talk show to an end after seven seasons in order to “prioritize my kids, which feels necessary and right for this chapter of our lives.” Last August, her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, died at 48 after a three-year battle with skin cancer.
It’s a decision that reflects the strength and intuition that Clarkson exhibits on a day-to-day basis, executive producer Alex Duda says.
“That’s why she was so good at this job because she can’t not be who she is – she’s a truth-teller,” Duda tells USA TODAY. “I admire that, and maybe we all should be looking at that: Take a step back because work isn’t the most important thing. Family is what counts.”
Music has always been a cornerstone of the show with its ever-popular “Kellyoke” cover segments, which is why Clarkson chose to make the entire series finale a concert. Throughout the hourlong episode, the three-time Grammy winner spoke at length with fans in the audience, who requested their favorite songs and shared how Clarkson’s music helped them through challenging times.
The set list included top-40 hits “Since U Been Gone” and “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” along with funky deep cut “Didn’t I” and rousing new single “I’d Be Lyin’.” Throughout the performances, River sweetly had her arm around Remy, as the siblings swayed, clapped and whooped for their mom.
Clarkson, barefoot and wearing a black windowpane dress, frequently jumped in place and beamed at her children while she sang.
The only time she opted to look away was during “Piece by Piece,” a sentimental favorite of a superfan named Jeremy who recently lost his mother, a single parent who did “all she could” to provide for him. Clarkson explained that she wrote the ballad while pregnant with River and that the song helped her heal from her father's abandonment of her in childhood.
“I cannot imagine leaving these two. I can’t imagine not wanting to be there every day for them, not wanting to hang out with them, not wanting to get to know who they’re going to be," Clarkson said, adding that now, the song “for me is more about empowerment and also for my kids to remind them: ‘I’m never going to leave your side. You cannot get rid of me!’”
At this point, Clarkson paused to wipe away tears before launching into the performance.
“Whoo, you got me. I need a minute,” Clarkson said as a crew member handed her tissues. “I’m going to Meryl Streep this s---! … I’m just not going to look anywhere over there. Not at Jeremy, not at my children; they are not there!”
'The Kelly Clarkson Show' ends with inspiring words, onstage dance party
As the taping comes to an end, a producer scuttles over to Clarkson’s kids to talk them through their onstage segment. It's a small maze of cords and light fixtures, but ever the big sister, River assures Remy: “You’re not gonna trip!"
“I’m such a proud mom; they’re the greatest kids in the world,” Clarkson says as cameras roll. “When we started, River was in kindergarten! She’s now going to be in middle school – crazy – and my son, Remington, he had his singing debut onstage with the band.”
Asked about their favorite moments on the show, Remy said it was meeting Jason Momoa and performing Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” while River told her mom, “I like watching you shine.”
“That’s so sweet,” Clarkson responded, genuinely moved. “Are you going to miss Mom coming to work or not?”
“No,” Remy said brightly, “because now you can take us to school!” She then asked whether he had any requests, to which he eagerly replied, "ice cream."
In the final moments of the episode, River and Remy joined their mom onstage for a giant group hug and dance party: shimmying and shaking their hips together, as Remy raised his hands in the air with a “rock on” sign. But before the boogying commenced, Clarkson delivered one last inspiring message to her loyal viewers.
“Life is totally out of our control,” Clarkson said. “You don’t have to attend the negative party you were invited to – I’ve been told by a therapist, so there you go. Remind yourself once a day that you have that choice, and to respond how you really want to be and who you really are inside.
“I loved being in your home each day, and I got to see my kids grow up on this show as well,” Clarkson continued. “I have immeasurable gratitude for everybody here – thank you so much.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inside 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' finale, from the tears to her kids' cameos
