Staffers at the Kelly Clarkson Show spent the early part of 2025 complaining about their boss behind her back, calling her ‘flaky’ and claiming that she had ‘checked out’ of the daytime talk show.

One staffer tells the Daily Mail that morale once got so low that everyone was proofreading each other’s resumes.

‘We were seeing speculation in the media that Kelly was going to quit and be replaced by Hoda Kotb,’ the staffer said.

‘So we were all looking for other jobs. We forwarded job postings to each other, networked for each other. A lot of people were ready to bolt. No disrespect to Hoda, but we didn’t know what was happening or if there would even be a job for us.’

Things got particularly tense when Clarkson, 43, vanished for several days in March.

During her absence, other celebrities including Brooke Shields filled in as guest host.

Meanwhile, staffers were simply told that Clarkson was having a ‘family emergency’, with no further information given – or any indication of when she may return.

In the end, Clarkson’s break from screens spanned ten episodes. But, upon her return to work, staff noticed that the Grammy winning singer – once a hands–on boss who was said to know the names of each staff member’s family – had become distant and aloof.

‘It was just such a difference from how she had been before,’ the staffer said. ‘It was hard for people to not take it personally. Like what did we do to suddenly be ignored like this?’

That question was answered in August when Clarkson’s ex-husband and father of her two young children, Brandon Blackstock, suddenly died aged 48 after a two–year battle with cancer.

Blackstock and Clarkson had divorced in 2022, but his ill health had been kept secret, leaving Clarkson to bear that weight in private.

‘Suddenly, it was all clear to everyone,’ said the staffer. ‘And boy, did we feel like sh**. We judged Kelly too soon. We didn’t see what she was going through. We made it all about us. It just goes to show that you should never jump to conclusions. You just never know.’

Following the ten-episode hiatus, Clarkson’s reputation took a second battering in July, when she was forced to abruptly cancel a scheduled show in Las Vegas just 90 minutes before it was due to start.

Like the staff on her show, concertgoers were in the dark about her personal struggles, with Clarkson simply telling fans that she was ‘devastated’, while blaming a strained voice and promising to postpone the concerts.

In fact, the only inkling of Blackstock’s health battle came the night before his death was announced. On August 6, Clarkson cancelled all remaining show dates in her Las Vegas residency, writing in a statement: ‘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.’

Blackstock’s family announced his passing the following day.

Clarkson and Blackstock – her one-time talent manager and the stepson of singer Reba McEntire – had two children together, daughter River Rose, 11, and nine-year-old son Remington Alexander.

They divorced citing ‘irreconcilable differences’ in 2022 after a highly publicized split. Until last year, Clarkson was paying Blackstock $115,000 a month for spousal support and $45,000 for child support.

Clarkson has not publicly addressed Blackstock’s death, but it has since emerged that he had moved on from their marriage with Clarkson’s former assistant Brittney Marie Jones.

Blackstock’s obituary, published online, referred to Jones as his ‘loving partner’ and revealed that they had been building a new life together in Montana.

Three months later, and back on the Kelly Clarkson Show, the boss is said to be returning to the woman she was before Blackstock’s death.

‘She’s so much more talkative again,’ our staffer mole said. ‘She’ll stop by our desks and make conversation, ask about family members, gossip and make jokes. It’s like the old Kelly is back again. She has been dearly missed.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Clarkson and NBC for comment.