Kelly Clarkson can’t replace Katy Perry on ‘American Idol’, here’s why

Kelly Clarkson really loves American Idol, but there is something she loves even more, as she shared the reason why she can’t replace Katy Perry as a judge.

The very first Idol winner won’t come back to sit in a judge’s chair because she would have to pay the price by being away from New York City and her children.

“I can’t do that, only because I promised my kids,” Clarkson told Entertainment Tonight in an interview published on Saturday, June 8.

“I was like, ‘I wanna be there as much as I possibly can.’ And it would put me in L.A., and that’s why I had to quit The Voice, which I love that team. And I miss them so much.”

Clarkson has been a coach on The Voice for seasons 14 to 21 and returned for a one-off run in season 23.

In 2023, Clarkson stated that the discord in her marriage to her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock had overshadowed a large portion of her stay on The Voice.

“Full disclosure, I put on a smile a lot of those times because I was struggling a lot in my personal life,” Clarkson admitted in October last year.

“I’ve learned a lot about what I’m capable of handling, and also what you should not handle. That was me saying ‘bye’ to The Voice and having this big move. I love that family, but I was like, ‘I’m struggling. I can’t smile anymore. I don’t feel like smiling.’”