Will Kelly Clarkson ever return to The Voice? (Let's just say the odds aren't good)

In season 14 of The Voice, NBC pulled off one of its greatest casting feats when it added Kelly Clarkson to the cast of the long-running series! 

Clarkson remains the most successful performer ever to win a singing competition series stateside with American Idol launching what has been an amazing career for Clarkson. Having been through a competition series herself allowed Clarkson to bring something few coaches have been able to bring to The Voice: an actual understanding of what it’s like to be a contestant and knowledge of what it takes not only to make it to the end and win it all, but how to then have a successful career after the show. 

As expected, Clarkson became an immediate favorite with the fans and was an absolute natural in the coach’s seat. She brought so much personality to every stage of the competition and made waves right out of the gate as she helped coach Brynn Cartelli to victory, making her the youngest female artist to ever win the show and putting Clarkson in an elite group of coaches to win The Voice in their first season of the show. 

Clarkson became a staple on the show, returning for the next ten seasons of the show before ultimately stepping away from the series at the end of season 23. At the time of her exit, Clarkson had led four singers to victory and become the second-most-winning coach in the show’s history behind only Blake Shelton. Fans had hoped her exit would be a temporary one and that she would return to the show after a season away. Sadly, it seems Clarkson might never return to the show, at least as a coach. 

Kelly Clarkson has openly said she’s not planning on returning to The Voice

When Kelly Clarkson stepped away from The Voice after season 23, many suspected the decision was in part due to her busy schedule with The Kelly Clarkson Show and new music on the horizon, and that was indeed a factor in the decision. 

As Clarkson revealed to USA Today in 2023 shortly after she left The Voice, a large part of the reason she decided to step away from the show was out of a desire to stop spreading herself so thinly by overcommitting to a multitude of projects – something that Clarkson admitted was causing issues in her personal life. 

"Full disclosure, I put on a smile a lot of those times because I was struggling a lot in my personal life," Clarkson told USA Today. "I've learned a lot about what I'm capable of handling, and also what you should not handle."

While Clarkson has nothing but love for her family at The Voice, she has openly stated that her season 23 exit was her saying goodbye to the show and has seemingly hinted she will not be coming back to the show as a coach, at least anytime soon. 

"That was me saying, 'Bye,' to The Voice and having this big move," she told the outlet. "I love that family, but I was like, 'I'm struggling. I can't smile anymore. I don't feel like smiling.'”

So while it’s unlikely we’ll see Clarkson return as a coach on The Voice, the door does remain open for her to return to the show in other capacities such as a guest performer or even a mentor, a role Clarkson had filled on the show numerous times before joining the show as a coach in season 14!