Kelly Clarkson Returns to ‘The Voice’ After Ex-Husband Brandon Blackstock’s Death

Kelly Clarkson has resumed filming season 29 of The Voice after taking a brief absence to mourn the loss of ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.

Deadline reported on Tuesday, August 19, that Clarkson, 43, returned as a coach for the NBC music competition show alongside Adam Levine and John Legend. Per the outlet, Clarkson missed one episode of shooting —  a rehearsal for the battle rounds — with fellow American Idol alum Jennifer Hudson filling in.

Season 29 of The Voice is titled “Battle of Champions” and is being filmed simultaneously with season 28, which features Michael Bublé, Snoop Dogg, Niall Horan and Reba McEntire as judges. Deadline reported on Tuesday that McEntire, who is the former stepmother of Blackstock, has fulfilled her obligations and filming remains on track for the season. (McEntire was married to Brandon’s father, Narvel Blackstock, from 1989 to 2015.)

Us Weekly has reached out to NBC for comment.

After missing a handful of episodes of her eponymous daytime talk show earlier this month, Clarkson postponed the remaining August performances at her Las Vegas residency, revealing Brandon was unwell.

“While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them,” Clarkson captioned an Instagram post at the time. The exes shared two children: daughter River Rose, 11, and son Remy, 9. (Brandon also shared kids Savannah and Seth with first wife Melissa Ashworth.)

Brandon died the following day on August 7 after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 48.

“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away. Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years. He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family,” a rep for the family confirmed to Us at the time. “We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.”

In the days following his death, Clarkson canceled her August 17 Band Together Texas benefit concert appearance. Her talk show is currently still on track to start production in early September as scheduled, per Deadline, with tickets now on sale.

Earlier this week, host of The Voice Carson Daly exclusively told Us Weekly that things have been “tough” in the wake of Brandon’s death.

“We all knew Brandon well, and we are a family,” Daly, 52, told Us, noting that he worked with McEntire just last week. “Everything was fresh, so we’ve just been sending our prayers and support to them. It’s a terrible situation.”

He added, “It’s really no different than what you would do for your family members. You let them know you’re there, you’re praying for them [and] you’re giving them space at the same time.”

Clarkson and Brandon tied the knot in 2013. The singer filed for divorce in 2020 after seven years of marriage. Their contentious split included a court battle over property and finances and was finalized in 2022, when Clarkson received full primary custody of their two children and relocated the family to New York City.

Brandon, for his part, moved to Montana and found love again with partner Brittney Marie Jones, a former production assistant of Clarkson’s. In addition to Jones, Blackstock is survived by his parents, his siblings, his four children and his grandchildren.