The huge wardrobe change Kelly Clarkson has made following unexplained absence revealed | HELLO! (2025)

Kelly Clarkson has made an unexpected change to her wardrobe since returning to her hit talk show, following a lengthy absence from the series in March.

She stepped away from The Kelly Clarkson Show between March 3 and March 18, with guest hosts like Simu Liu, Brooke Shieldsand Wanda Sykes filling in for her.

A sartorial shift

Since her return, Kelly has opted to dress in casual attire while on set, a far cry from her typical dresses and heels.

On Monday's show, she donned a dark green long-sleeved shirt with dark blue jeans, looking laid back in the relaxed outfit.

The wardrobe change is a huge departure from the stylish and dressed-up clothes she previously wore on set, perhaps indicating a more relaxed approach to her hosting duties.

Kelly's mega milestone

After returning from her lengthy absence to celebrate 1,000 episodes of the show, Kelly made an emotional speech about how far she and her team have come over the years.

"I can't believe today marks the 1,000th. It's crazy," she said to her audience. "We have met some hugely talented people, tons of big stars and inspiring everyday heroes."

"We've created a community and supported each other through a lot of ups and downs," she continued. "A lot of ups and downs personally as well."

"We have laughed together, cried together with some beautiful stories, sang together, danced together, celebrated and competed together. I [was] lost and alone...a lot," Kelly added. "And along the way, we've found comfort with each other."

Taking a break

While she still hasn't publicly addressed her absence from the show, Kelly did clarify that she was dealing with a "personal matter."

She previously took an extended break for the entire summer in 2022 to spend more time with her kids River and Remy, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.

"It was really important to me to shut down for a minute," she explained on theToday show in August 2022. "[We] just spent the whole summer in the mountains. It was nice. It felt like the first time my kids felt a little more centered as well."

Moving forward

The 43-year-old has had a busy start to 2025 with the launch of her own record label, which is set to drop her new music in the coming months. "It's my first time in my career and I just now started my own label and I'm putting out my own stuff," she told guest Keke Palmer on the show in January.

"I've had some good teams to work with, but there is nothing like being that 10-year-old again and being excited and nobody saying 'Oh, you should do this' and 'You should do this.'"

The mother of two clarified that she would be focusing on her own music for the time being, after being inundated with artists looking to work with her new label.

"I just had to create something because I'm releasing my stuff and it was like you have to release it through some kind of vessel," she explained on the Not Gonna Lie podcast. "So I'm not taking artists, and I'm really lucky to be clearing the air right now."

She continued: "Because it's not that I don't want to. I know a lot of amazing artists. My cup runneth over. I'm a single mom with two kids and like a lot going on." Kelly will also play an 18-show residency in Las Vegas from July until November.

To watch Kelly's emotional on-air message following her absence, see below...