Why Kelly Clarkson feels a ‘weight has lifted' after moving to NYC

Originally appeared on E! Online

Piece by piece, Kelly Clarkson is starting a new life in New York City.

After "The Kelly Clarkson Show" host moved her daytime talk show from Los Angeles to the Big Apple, she's getting candid on how the relocation affected her and her two kids: daughter River Rose, 9, and son Remington Alexander, 7, whom she shares with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.

"I'll be real honest: I thought I was making a horrible decision," Clarkson told USA Today in an interview published Oct. 16. "I knew I needed a fresh start and couldn't be in LA. I really wanted to be in Montana, but you can't really do a show from there quite yet. So I was like, ‘The only other option would probably be New York.'"

She added, "I genuinely love it, and I love that my kids love it."

And not only do the kids like living on the East Coast, but Clarkson—who finalized her divorce from Blackstock in March 2022—also ensured their abode was up to par.

Kelly Clarkson Through the Years

"At this point, I'm 40 years old. Mama rented something nice!" the Grammy winner quipped. "I was like, ‘I'm not living here unless it's right by the park and really nice for the kids.'"

As she raises her children on New York time, Clarkson realized that the city has become the perfect spot for her NBC show to thrive.

"What's cool for me with season five is I am in such a great place, not only with my kids, but with me personally and with the show," she told the outlet. "I feel like a weight has lifted. That move was very needed. I think the thing I'm most excited about with season five, on a selfish level, is just showing up to work smiling and actually meaning it. That's a beautiful gift that you don't realize until you're out of it."

And these days, Clarkson revealed that finding someone special to bring a smile to her face isn't out of the question either.

"I don't know that I'll ever get married again," she confessed on Glennon Doyle's "We Can Do Hard Things" podcast in June. "I would love whatever the future holds. I'm open to it."

But in the meantime, the "Stronger" artist has continued to share glimpses of her family life on social media, including photos of River and Remington popping onto the stage separately during her Las Vegas residency in August.

Clarkson had her daughter join her on stage at the Bakkt Theater at the Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino to perform a duet of the sentimental track "Heartbeat Song," while her son came out to show off his dance moves.

"Both of my kiddos backstage getting ready to join me on stage in Vegas," Clarkson gushed on Instagram the next day. "Nothing will ever be as cool and amazing as these two little humans that will always have my whole heart."