It was her talent that first put American Idol on the map, and now she's bringing her skills to a whole new format. Kelly Clarkson's new talk show will premiere in 2019, according to early reports from TVLine, so it's time to clear your schedule during the daytime or consider getting a DVR, because you won't want to miss a single episode. And you don't have to worry about getting your hopes up for nothing, either! Clarkson casually announced the project during a Tuesday, Sep. 18 appearance on The Tonight Show, surprising even Jimmy Fallon. (Bustle reached out to a representative of Clarkson for a more official confirmation, but hadn't heard back at the time of publication.)
But in any case, here's what we know so far. The daytime talk show, which is reportedly going with the title The Kelly Clarkson Show, was scooped up by NBC, who will bring the new offering nationwide beginning in Fall of 2019. So far, the project has been sold to affiliates in 11 major cities — New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Miami, San Diego and Hartford — where it will be in good company. TVLine also reported that the series will provide a lead-in to none other than Ellen in all cities mentioned with the exception of Boston.
And to be honest, that pairing sounds like a match made in heaven. According to the blurb provided to TVLine by NBC, The Kelly Clarkson Show will be “a fun, energetic show that breaks with tradition." It continued:
"In each episode, audiences will experience an hour full of remarkable stories, celebrity guests, spontaneous surprises, humor, heart and, of course, good music!"
Humor, heart, and good music — sounds like Clarkson to a T, no? And maybe the fact that the project is so in line with her own personality is the reason she signed on for it in the first place.
Because as the 36-year-old told Fallon on Tuesday, hosting a daytime talk show wasn't exactly on her bucket list. "I didn't think I'd ever do it," she told the late-night host, adding "but we shot the pilot." And now that she's in that talk-show mindset, the mom-of-two says the only obstacle will be letting her guests get a word in edgewise. Clarkson continued:
"I love talking; it's like my favorite pastime. It's hard for me to shut up, though. You have to listen to people who come on your show, and I just keep talking. That's the only thing I've got to work on: listening."
But the new The Voice coach is a pretty quick learner, so she'll probably work through that first hiccup right away, and the rest of what's promised sounds like a true delight. Clarkson revealed on The Tonight Show that her hourlong slot will "be a little different" than anything else on offer. She continued:
"We sing every day on the show and do this fan request thing. It's fun. In the pilot, I got people to sing with me and do little skits. It's very musical; it would be weird if it wasn't!"
It might be weird, but with the amounts of charm that Clarkson is bringing to the table, we're betting people would tune in even if it was a show about the platinum-selling artist just reading the phone book.
