Kelly Clarkson sat down with Hoda Kotb and Carson Daily on the “Today Show” and discussed her exit from this fall’s season of “The Voice.” It was announced in May of this year that the singer and talk show host, who has been a host on “The Voice” for seven seasons, would not be coming back for the show’s 22^nd season. When touching upon the fact that Clarkson had the summer off due to her break from “The Voice,” the 40-year-old revealed that she hadn’t had a summer off since she was sixteen. The singer has kept a very busy lifestyle since she came to fame after her “American Idol” debut. In addition to “The Voice,” Clarkson is also the host of her very own talk show, “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” which will be taking over Ellen DeGeneres’s time slot after the former host of “Ellen” retired this past May.

Clarkson particularly focused in on what the break meant for spending time with her kids. Referencing a “rough couple of years,” Clarkson stated she had spent her summer in Montana and, “literally four-wheeled in the mountains.” Clarkson was in Montana so that her children, River Rose and Remington Alexander, could be near their father and Clarkson’s ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock. Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in 2020 after nearly seven years of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences.” A contentious divorce followed soon after, which was only just settled in March, with Clarkson being granted primary custody of the couple’s two children, while their agreement arranges for the children to spend one weekend a month with Blackstock. Clarkson spoke positively about the experience, saying, “The kids were with me, and with their dad. It was nice because they usually have to travel a lot because of our separation. So we were both in Montana… I think my kids felt a little more centered as well, so it was nice.”

Clarkson is not the first celebrity to take a break for the sake of her family. Actress Sandra Bullock announced that she would be stepping back from acting after the release of her latest film, “The Lost City.” Like Clarkson, she emphasized a desire to be at home. In her interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” Bullock said, “I take my job very seriously when I’m at work… And I just want to be 24/7 with my babies and my family.” Her plan for the time being is to focus on her children’s social calendar. Other high profile actors like Eva Mendes and Ryan Reynolds have talked about taking time off to focus on their personal lives. As Ryan Reynolds, who is a father of 3 daughters and married to actress Blake Lively, noted in an interview, “I’m just trying to create a little bit more space for my family. You know, you really don’t get that time back.”