Kelly Clarkson Details The ‘Very Important’ Reason She Took A Season Off ‘The Voice’

Kelly Clarkson reveals what she’s been up to since the news dropped that she would not be continuing her coaching duties on the upcoming season of NBC’s The Voice.

In May, it was announced that the singing competition will return this fall without Clarkson or Season 21 coach Ariana Grande. Camila Cabello will join the show as a replacement coach alongside John Legend, Blake Shelton and his wife, Gwen Stefani.

Cabello has plenty of experience when it comes to being on reality television as a past contestant herself. In 2012, she got her start on Fox’s The X Factor as part of Fifth Harmony with Ally Brooke, Normani, Dinah Jane, and Lauren Jauregui.

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Clarkson appeared on eight consecutive seasons of The Voice and won four seasons with her team of talented budding artists. While many fans shared their disappointment in her decision, she revealed that taking a break for the first time in years was “really important” for her.

“… It’s maybe common for a lot of working people. You don’t get summers off, generally, unless you’re in high school,” Clarkson said in a recent interview with Hoda Kotb and Carson Daly on the Today show. “But I hadn’t had a minute, and it’s obviously been a rough couple years, so it was really important to me to shut down for a minute.”

Fans took to social media to vent their thoughts on Clarkson’s exit from the show. While some users vowed to boycott the show now that Clarkson isn’t on it, others looked at things from her point of few and understood her decision.

“Guess I’ll be skipping a season. No Kelly, No Voice for me. I do need to catch up on reading,” wrote one Twitter user, while another said, “No offense to the other coaches and producers, but Kelly Clarkson was the sole reason I watched The Voice.”

Instead of filming for The Voice this summer, Clarkson enjoyed plenty of much-needed relaxation in the great outdoors with friends and family. This marks her first summer off since she was 16 years old.

“My sister, my nephew and I, and a couple friends literally spent the whole summer in the mountains, just getting out in nature,” she explained.

Going through the process of divorce with now ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, in the last few years has added even more stress to her and her family. So having a moment of peace while on vacation in Montana with her 8-year-old daughter, River Rose, and her son Remington, 6, was an especially great bonus for the 40-year-old singer.

“The kids were with me and their dad, and it was nice because they usually have to travel a lot because of our separation,” Clarkson stated. “We were both in Montana, so it felt kind of the first time I think my kids felt a little more centered as well. So it was nice.”

Her schedule has maintained its busy status ever since she rose to fame after being crowned the first winner of American Idol in 2002. Soon, the Texas native will return to her talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, in addition to hosting NBC’s American Song Contest.

The upcoming season of The Voice is set to premiere on Monday, Sept. 19. Clarkson’s future position on the show has yet to be determined.