Kelly Clarkson Moved Her Show to N.Y.C. Because It 'Just Got Lonely' in L.A.: 'Never Wanted to Live There'

When The Kelly Clarkson Show officially makes the swap from Los Angeles to New York City this fall, it will have been a long time coming for host Kelly Clarkson!

The singer, 41, appeared on the TODAY show Thursday morning and discussed her upcoming move, which she said came upon realizing just how unhappy she was living in Los Angeles.

"I think COVID pointed out a lot of things. A lot of us didn't make it relationship-wise. Also it just proved I've never really liked living in L.A.," she said, referring to her 2020 divorce from husband Brandon Blackstock. "It's just never been my thing, in 20 years. I never wanted to live there in the first place."

Clarkson — who will release her new album Chemistry on Friday — said she also struggled living on the West Coast because her entire family lives on the East Coast, and it was difficult being so far from them.

"It was just me and my kids all the way on that coast. All my family lives on this coast," she said. "So it just got lonely. And I have been honest on The Voice with that, I'm lonely there. Not as in like, I need a boyfriend kind of thing, lonely as in like, you miss your family, you miss just having any family or that kind of relationship."

NBC confirmed in May that The Kelly Clarkson Show, which was recently renewed through 2025, will head to New York City in the fall for its upcoming fifth season.

Clarkson opened up further about her big move in a SiriusXM Town Hall with Andy Cohen, and said she’s most excited by the Big Apple's pedestrian-friendly streets.

"We go nowhere in L.A. I came here and this is what won me over," she said. "I came here and I was like, 'Why have I never lived here?' I know why. My ex does not like living in a city like this, but I just never had done it and I literally called one of the [network] heads and was like, 'Listen, my life has been a dumpster fire and I'm really unhappy in L.A. and I don’t know if I'll continue in L.A. What are our thoughts about possible moving this to New York?'"

The Grammy-winning singer said NBC was "highly supportive" of her ask — as were her daughter River, 9, and son Remington, 7, who are big fans of the public transportation.

"I take the subway. My kids love it. They get so angry when we get in a vehicle and so they love the subway because they feel independent,” she said. "But anyway, I love the walking around. This city, that's the thing that attracts me most is that everybody here has their own life, supportive of people, but not living vicariously through your life."