When Kelly Clarkson’s talk show came back on air last fall, suddenly her weight loss was very noticeable. Going through the photos of Kelly throughout 2023, it did seem like she was losing weight pretty consistently throughout the year, then it was like “bam!!” in October/November. She lost a lot of weight from her face, but she’s really slimmed down all over. Check out this clip from her show from two weeks ago:
So, inevitably, there’s a conversation about whether or not Kelly is taking Ozempic or one of the other weight-loss/diabetes drugs. It’s no one’s business, of course, and Kelly doesn’t have the same kind of tortured tell-all history as someone like Oprah, whose weight struggles were always part of her celebrity brand. Kelly is just Kelly – she doesn’t owe us an explanation. Which is good, because she’s not admitting anything other “following my doctor’s advice.”
Kelly Clarkson is building a new life — and a new look — in the big city. As a single mom to daughter River Rose, 9, and son Remington Alexander, 7, Clarkson, 41, now calls New York City home. “I was very unhappy in L.A. and had been for several years. I needed a fresh start,” she tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story.
Relocating her hit talk show from L.A. to N.Y.C., “we told NBC, ‘I’m not trying to sound ungrateful, I just can’t stay here anymore for my mental health; for me and my kids.’ They weren’t doing well either. For the past few years, I’d just been showing up and smiling and doing what I’m supposed to do, but you can only compartmentalize so long until you break.”
Typical non-working days now revolve around exploring the city with her kids (whom she shares with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, 47). “We go walk the dogs a few times at the park. We’ll go for ice cream because my daughter will wear me down. We’ll go make slime and we go to the museum,” she says.
Clarkson credits their on-the-go activities for helping her get in shape. “Walking in the city is quite the workout,” she says. “And I’m really into infrared saunas right now. And I just got a cold plunge because everybody wore me down.”
As for her diet, “I eat a healthy mix. I dropped weight because I’ve been listening to my doctor — a couple years I didn’t. And 90 percent of the time I’m really good at it because a protein diet is good for me anyway. I’m a Texas girl, so I like meat — sorry, vegetarians in the world!”
It seems reasonable that Kelly simply lost weight gradually over the course of a year by walking more, going for a more protein-heavy diet and taking away some of her personal stress. Do you believe that’s all she’s done? Eh. But again, she doesn’t owe us an explanation. She’s not lying, she’s just being purposefully vague.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images, Getty. Cover courtesy of People.
