For Kelly Clarkson, the choice wasn't about walking away - it was about making space for what mattered most. After months of speculation, the singer revealed on February 2 that she's leaving her daytime talk show after its current seventh season. "This was not an easy decision," she said in an emotional Instagram post. "Stepping away from the daily schedule will allow me to prioritize my kids, which feels necessary and right for this next chapter of our lives." She added, "I want to thank y'all so much for allowing our show to be a part of your lives." The decision marks a turning point for Clarkson - both professionally and personally. Since debuting her popular chat show in 2019, the star has balanced a demanding career with life as a mom to daughter River, 11, and son Remington, 9. Last summer brought an even deeper shift: Clarkson's ex-husband and the children's father, Brandon Blackstock, died at age 48 after a three-year battle with cancer. Now, the American Idol alum, 43, is looking ahead - putting her energy into family while focusing more on her first passion, music. (She'll appear on season 29 of The Voice, which premieres February 23.) According to a source, Clarkson is also slowly opening herself up to romance. "Kelly's been through so much in her life, and she just pushes on," shares the source. "A lot of that comes from her selfless nature. She has people who depend on her, and she puts them first." Clarkson's choice to end her talk show had been brewing for some time. "Kelly didn't realize how all-consuming the show would be," says a second source. "It's her entire life." The source explains that Clarkson also didn't foresee the show's massive success or imagine it would last as long as it did. (The chatfest has won 24 Daytime Emmy awards during its seven-season run, with Clarkson interviewing everyone from Hillary Clinton and Jill Biden to Viola Davis and Meg Ryan.) "She was surprised," adds the source. "The talk show became more than she initially bargained for, and left her with little time to pursue anything else." Kelly Clarkson Announces Her Talk Show Will End After 7 Seasons She's happiest making music. "Kelly asked herself, 'Do I want to spend the rest of my life doing this?' She wants to focus on things that she really loves," shares the source. Her bosses at NBC gave her a lot of freedom - she had her beloved Kellyoke segment on The Kelly Clarkson Show (her covers of hit songs often went viral), and she kicked off her Kelly Clarkson: Studio Sessions Las Vegas residency in July. Her plate is also full with her Kelly Clarkson Home line of furniture and decor. Notes the first source, "When [Kelly leaves the show], she can split her time between live performances and her merchandising deals and take a step back." Blackstock's death was devastating for the whole family. Clarkson first spoke of his health issues in an Instagram post she shared the day before he died, when she postponed her Vegas residency. "While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children's father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them," she wrote. (She'd been mysteriously absent from the show in late February and early March.) "It was a huge shock," the first source says, adding that everyone is "doing as well as can be expected." (Clarkson and Blackstock, her former music manager, had an acrimonious split in 2020. They settled a lawsuit in 2024 over commissions and mismanagement after he was ordered to repay her $2.6 million.) Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame In a January behind-the-scenes Q&A, Clarkson offered fans a glimpse into life at home with River, Remy and their two dogs, revealing that they've all been sleeping together. "My kids, they're 9 and 11 [and] kind of that special little fun stage where they can wipe their own behinds, but they're still small enough to, like, love cuddling and love snuggles," she explained. "There's been a lot for our family recently, and so I have allowed my kids to sleep with me quite a bit. It's my two dogs, my two kids and me. It's a lot. It's been really special, though." On February 1, Blackstock's former stepmother, Reba McEntire - who was previously married to his father, music manager Narvel Blackstock - told Entertainment Tonight that the rest of the family was "hanging in there" ahead of her in-memoriam performance. (Blackstock was also dad to daughter Savannah, 23, and son Seth, 18, from his first marriage.) "We miss Brandon so much," McEntire said. "We all have a big text chain that we stay together and talk about him and remember him." Everything Kelly Clarkson Said About Her Split From Brandon Blackstock Clarkson has a small inner circle she keeps close. It includes her mom, Jeanne, and sister Alyssa, a couple of childhood friends and a few people she's met in the music industry. "She is very tight with her sister and spends as much time with her as she can," the first source says. While