Kelly Clarkson closed out seven seasons of her Emmy-winning daytime talk show Monday with more than an hour of music, tears, and a goodbye from her two children by her side.
According to The Wrap, the finale opened with Clarkson performing "Golden," the Academy Award-winning track from the animated Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters. Before singing it, Clarkson told the audience the song was the most-requested Kellyoke cover in the show's entire history. "That is a very high song," she said. "I was like, 'Let's go for it!'" She performed the track in its original key, which many viewers noted online.
Ejae, who wrote and performed the original song, reposted the performance. "So honored," she wrote. "U absolutely killed it." Lin-Manuel Miranda also weighed in, writing in the comment section, "Kelly done healed the honmoon by herself," referencing the record-breaking film.
The finale also featured a "Kelly by Request" segment, with fans choosing songs from Clarkson's catalog. She performed "Since U Been Gone," "Sober," "Stronger," and "Piece by Piece." The show closed with the live debut of her new song "I'd Be Lyin'," which is expected to be the lead single from her upcoming 11th studio album.
One of the most emotional moments came during a segment Clarkson dedicated to her children, River and Remy. She noted that when the show started, River was in kindergarten and is now heading into middle school, while Remy had his singing debut on the program. Clarkson asked both kids what their favorite moments from the show were. Remy answered, "I liked talking to Jason Momoa and singing with the band." River's response brought Clarkson to tears. "I liked watching you shine every single day," she said.
Clarkson struggled to hold back her emotions. "That's so sweet. OK, you got me. You just opened me on my own show," she told her daughter.
She then invited her children onto the stage and thanked the show's crew, band, viewers, and guest teachers. Before the final credits rolled, Clarkson delivered a closing message she had repeated at the end of every episode throughout the show's run.
"For seven years, I've ended each episode by saying, 'Have a great day, and if it's not, change it.' I say that because while we have to accept that life is totally out of our control, each moment, though, truly depends on how we choose to respond or react to it," she 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."
She added, "And if you remind yourself once a day that you have that choice, you know to respond how you really want to be and who you really are inside, I promise that habit is going to become a part of you, and your life will respond to you in return."
As the credits ran and her kids stood beside her, Clarkson delivered her sign-off one final time: "Before we turn the page, have a great day, and if it's not, change it."
The Kelly Clarkson Show ran for more than 1,200 episodes across seven seasons. It earned 24 Daytime Emmy Awards and received 11 additional Emmy nominations in its final season alone. Over the course of the show, Clarkson performed more than 800 Kellyoke covers.
Clarkson had announced her departure from the show in February, writing that the decision was tied in part to her children. "This isn't goodbye," she wrote at the time. "I'll still be making music, playing shows here and there and you may catch me on 'The Voice' from time to time … But for now, I want to thank y'all so much for allowing our show to be a part of your lives, and for believing in us and hanging with us for seven incredible years."
Her new single "I'd Be Lyin'" is expected to set up her next studio album.
