Kelly Clarkson Shares How She’s Helping Her Daughter River, 12, During Junior High School
Kelly Clarkson Shares How She’s Helping Her Daughter River, 12, During Junior High School
Kayla GrantWed, November 11, 2026 at 5:35 PM UTC
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Kelly Clarkson; Kelly Clarkson’s daughter RiverCredit: Trae Patton/NBC via Getty; The Kelly Clarkson Show -
Kelly Clarkson shares how she’s helping daughter River navigate junior high school
The singer says junior high can be especially difficult because of friendships and arguments
Clarkson shares River has sometimes said her mother’s advice was right
Kelly Clarkson is supporting her daughter through the ups and downs of junior high school.
The Voice coach and Grammy Award-winning singer, 44, chatted with E! News during the Monday, Nov. 9 live show for the singing competition show, where she opened up about how she’s helping her daughter River, 12, navigate the emotional woes of junior high school. Clarkson, who’s also a mom to son Remington, 10, told the outlet that similarly to the contestants on her team, her daughter has benefitted from some of her advice.
“I’m a pretty progressive parent, so I’m like, ‘No, no. You’re gonna make your own mistakes, and that’s okay,’ ” Clarkson shared. “I’m not like an ‘I told you so,’ but I do implement advice.”
“They’re growing up,” she continued. “One’s in junior high, and junior high sucks. It’s a hard age with friends, and arguing and stuff like that. I do offer advice, and I’ve had my daughter come back and be like, ‘So you were right.’ ”
The “Stronger” singer welcomed her two kids with her late ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, who died of cancer at 48 in 2025.
Clarkson’s children often used to visit her on her daytime talk show. In fact, she honored her motherhood journey when she celebrated her 1,000th episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show in March 2025. A montage of clips from times they appeared on the show over the years played at the end of the episode, making Clarkson emotional.
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“River and Remy, I love you so much. I’m so proud of you both,” she said. “They’re just fearless and very bold. They’re more like me as an adult, not what I was like as a child, so they talk a lot too. You are what I’m liking today, my little ones, and every day I love them so much.”
On the April 2 episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, the “Since U Been Gone” singer’s daughter joined the crew, shadowing the showrunner, Alex Duda. The preteen acted as a “mini producer” for the day, attending meetings and telling her mom when to go to break.
“My daughter is here today,” she said, as she pointed and looked at River, noticing a new add-on to her attire. “Oh my God! You have a mic and everything! You’re so fancy! Oh my God. I love it. You’re like a little mini producer.”
Kelly Clarkson and her childrenCredit: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty
While chatting with Jenna Bush Hager during an episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, Clarkson revealed that she’s still “cool” enough to hang around her son and daughter. She then noted the funny way all her kids’ friends address her.
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“It is funny because kids will use my full name,” she said. “They won’t say River or Remy’s mom. They’ll be like, ‘Hi, Kelly Clarkson,’ and they’ll say my full name every time like it’s a game show.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
