The Kelly Clarkson Show staff had a major wakeup call when they caught wind of Brandon Blackstock’s death.
It’s been an undeniably tough year for Kelly Clarkson in the wake of her ex-husband’s death in August. The late talent manager lost a secret two-year battle with cancer — a battle so secret most daytime show staff didn’t even know. Which made the host’s sudden leave difficult to comprehend, and therefore sympathize with.
On Wednesday, an unnamed staffer spoke with DailyMail.com about what the atmosphere was like when Kelly took a 10-episode leave in March:
“We were seeing speculation in the media that Kelly was going to quit and be replaced by Hoda Kotb. 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.”
As you may recall, the Since U Been Gone singer had a series of celebrity guests fill in for hosting duties, including Brooke Shields, Wanda Sykes, Michael Bublé, Simu Liu, and more while she mysteriously stepped away for personal reasons.
Related: Kelly Clarkson’s Ex–Manager Pushed Her To Get A Boob Job
According to the insider, staffers were informed Kelly had to attend to a “family emergency” but were given no details beyond that. And when she eventually returned to the show, her typical bubbly and personable aura was nowhere to be seen. The insider recalled:
“It was just such a difference from how she had been before. It was hard for people to not take it personally. Like what did we do to suddenly be ignored like this?”
However, that answer was finally answered months later in August when it was revealed that her children’s father had tragically died of cancer at just 48 years old. And when that news hit, everything clicked for the staff:
“Suddenly, it was all clear to everyone. And boy, did we feel like s**t.”
The source continued:
“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.”
Oof, that must have been a tricky situation to navigate. We previously heard reports that Kelly’s crew members were unhappy when she last-minute canceled the opening Studio Sessions show in Las Vegas. Like the source said, it should be a lesson to all to never be too hasty to judge. You never know what people are going through!
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[Images via NBC/YouTube & Adriana M. Barraza/WENN]
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