Kelly Clarkson Gives Her Talk Show a High Note With a Final Kellyoke Performance of “Golden”
Kelly Clarkson chose a fitting way to close the chapter on The Kelly Clarkson Show: by singing.
The daytime talk show aired its final episode on Aug. 31, bringing its seven-season run to an end. At the center of the farewell was Clarkson’s final-ever Kellyoke performance, a challenging rendition of “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters that gave the singer one last opportunity to show off the powerhouse vocals that became one of the show’s defining features.
Clarkson performed the song in both English and Korean, taking on its demanding high notes in a prerecorded performance. Even she seemed impressed by what she had just attempted.
“That’s a high song!” Clarkson said while watching the performance with the studio audience.
The choice of “Golden” was especially fitting. According to executive producer Alex Duda, it had become the most requested Kellyoke song in the show’s history, making it an obvious choice for the final installment.
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A finale built around the fans
Rather than turning the final hour into a somber goodbye, Clarkson and her team made the episode a celebration of the music that had connected her with viewers over the years.
After watching her final Kellyoke performance, Clarkson told the studio audience that the show had completed more than 1,000 Kellyokes. She then revealed that she was finally going to devote an entire episode to another request she had heard repeatedly: a chance to hear more songs from her own catalog.
That became “Kelly By Request.”
The format allowed members of the studio audience to choose their favorite Clarkson songs for her to perform. The finale ultimately became something closer to a concert than a conventional talk-show episode, with fan stories and song requests woven into the farewell.
Among the songs featured were Clarkson favorites including “Since U Been Gone,” “Sober,” “Stronger,” “Piece by Piece” and “Didn’t I.” The episode also included the television debut of her song “I’d Be Lyin’.”
Duda explained that the show’s team deliberately structured the finale around the audience because they wanted the ending to feel celebratory rather than sad.
“The Kellyoke that we played, ‘Golden,’ was the most requested Kellyoke we ever had, so Kelly knew she wanted to put it in the last episode,” Duda told USA Today. “That’s why we built the whole episode around ‘By Request.’”
He said the goal was essentially to turn the final episode into a Kelly Clarkson concert, giving viewers a positive way to say goodbye.
Speaking to People, Duda said the team wanted the finale to be “a celebration,” with the emphasis placed on the fans who had supported the program throughout its run.
“For seven years, we listened to them,” he said, describing how viewers had consistently told the show which songs they wanted to hear and which moments they wanted to see again. A request-driven finale therefore felt like a natural way to bring the series to a close.
Seven seasons of The Kelly Clarkson Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show premiered in September 2019 and went on to become a major part of Clarkson’s career beyond music. Over seven seasons, the program earned 24 Daytime Emmy Awards and became particularly known for Clarkson’s musical performances, celebrity conversations and interactions with everyday guests.
The series ultimately produced more than 1,200 episodes before its final broadcast on Aug. 31.
The end of the show was announced in February 2026. Clarkson explained that she wanted to step away from the demands of a daily talk show to spend more time with her children.
Her decision brought the seven-season journey to a close, but the final episode made clear that music remained at the heart of the program.
Clarkson’s children, River Rose and Remington Alexander, also joined her during the farewell, adding a personal family moment to an episode built around her fans and her career.
The quality that defined Kelly’s show
For Duda, the show’s appeal ultimately came down to Clarkson herself and her ability to change the atmosphere of a room.
“She’s a mood shifter in the room,” he told People. “And if we could do that for everybody at home, then we’ve accomplished something.”
That quality became a defining part of The Kelly Clarkson Show. Whether she was interviewing a celebrity, talking with an audience member or stepping behind the microphone for Kellyoke, Clarkson brought the focus back to connection and music.
And for her final Kellyoke, she picked a song viewers had asked for more than any other.
With “Golden,” Clarkson gave The Kelly Clarkson Show the kind of ending that suited it best: one last big vocal performance, surrounded by the fans who had helped make Kellyoke one of the show’s signature traditions.