Why did Kelly Clarkson miss ‘The Voice’ Battle Round rehearsals? The real reason is heartbreaking
After three rounds of Blind Auditions, ‘The Voice’ Season 29 has officially stepped into its next phase. The Monday episode marked the start of the Battle Rounds, in which coaches Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, and John Legend paired their team members for duets. Each coach entered this stage with a full team of 10 artists, carefully selected through auditions. Now, usually, the coaches are involved in rehearsals, shaping every note and every decision. But this time, Clarkson wasn’t part of the process. Ahead of the Battle performances, she had to step away from rehearsals to handle personal matters following the passing of her former husband, Brandon Blackstock. He died in August 2025 after battling melanoma, a type of skin cancer.
The two share children, and despite their separation years earlier, the loss clearly left its mark. So while her team prepared for the next stage, Jennifer Hudson, a former coach on the show, stepped in to guide and advise the singers. She worked closely with Clarkson’s artists during rehearsals, offering direction, feedback, and small but crucial adjustments that can make or break a performance. Clarkson returned for the actual Battle Round tapings, back in her red chair, watching it all play out live. And even though she missed the rehearsals, she didn’t walk in blind.
In the preview clip, she admitted that, "I really hated that I couldn’t be there for Battle rehearsals, but I got to see the video footage. J. Hud left these notes for me and things she had the team work on, and it was amazing intel. Nothing beats live music, so that’s what I’m excited about." During the Battle Rounds, each coach gets one steal. That means if an artist loses their battle but still impresses another coach, they can be picked up by another team. Clarkson walked in with something extra in her pocket. Earlier in the competition, she earned a Super Steal, a kind of upgrade that overrides everyone else’s attempts to steal a contestant. If she uses it, that artist is hers.
On the very first night of Battles, Clarkson used that Super Steal on Liv Ciara, locking her into Team Kelly despite both Levine and Legend also making moves to grab her. Next comes the Knockout Rounds, where rules change again. In this round, artists perform solo and choose their own songs. But this season comes with an extra twist. For the first time, there’s an in-season All-Star Competition woven into the Knockouts. Each coach will bring back two contestants from previous seasons, and they’ll go head-to-head in sing-offs. The coach who racks up the most wins from those matchups will earn an extra artist slot in the finale.
