Kelly Clarkson is taking a risk, taking a chance and making a big change.
After all, the “Breakaway” singer signified the start of a brand-new chapter during a Sept. 21 appearance on the Today show when she stepped out with her shortest haircut yet, sporting a bob that went just beyond her chin.
And while Clarkson didn’t comment on the reason for her chop, she did share insight into the new leaf she has turned alongside her and late ex Brandon Blackstock’s kids River, 12, and Remington, 10, in New York following the end of The Kelly Clarkson Show last month.
“It feels wild,” she told Today anchors Craig Melvin, Savannah Guthrie and Carson Daly. “I’ve never lived in New York without working 9 to 5. It’s such a fun city to live in. I’m mom-ing it. I’m taking my kids every day and picking them up.”
Clarkson has quickly realized that life in New York would suck without her two kiddos.
“We’re really honing in as a family,” she mused. “It’s been really, really good for us.”
Meanwhile, the 44-year-old—who is also reuniting with Daly on the forthcoming season 30 of The Voice—admitted that she’s excited to get to turn her focus back toward the recording studio.
“It was really great having the talk show,” Clarkson continued. “But I did have to say no to quite a bit of music things. So, it’s been really cool, like, saying yes to Stagecoach and more festivals and getting back on those circuits that I wasn’t really able to do before.”
Still, the “Miss Independent” singer emphasized there was a lot she got to do by hosting her own show on NBC, which premiered back in 2019.
"I loved being in your homes each day,” Clarkson told her audience in her final broadcast. "I love seeing my kiddos grow up on this show as well. I have immeasurable gratitude for everyone: the crew, the band, everybody here—thank you so much. This has been an incredible opportunity. Thank you for connecting with us."
And previously, she emphasized the bittersweet feelings she had surrounding her talk show coming to an end after seven years on air.
“Our family life, the dynamic changed a bit, and it has changed for a minute now,” Clarkson—whose ex-husband died in August 2025 following a battle with cancer—said during a February appearance on Today. “I think it’s one of those things like, you kind of start seeing life as how precious it is, too.”
As she put it, “There’s just too much on the plate, so I was like you know what? It’s time to pull back.”
For more head-turning celeb hair transformations, keep reading…
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star channeled her OG MomTok era after cutting her long tresses into a chic bob in September 2026.
The Heated Rivalry star shocked fans after swapping out Ilya Rozanov's signature curls for a buzz cut amid filming season two of the gay hockey romance in August 2026.
Two weeks after attending the Little Brother premiere with a full head of brown hair, the WWE legend debuted a shaved look ahead of his second hair transplant.
"Round 2 of [Follicular Unit Extraction] Treatment and this time I went all in for best possible results," he wrote on X June 29, 2026. "Thank you Ken Anderson and the staff at Anderson Center for Hair for accompanying me on this journey!"
The Last Week Tonight host debuted jet-black hair for a guest role on ABC's long-running soap opera General Hospital.
During London Fashion Week 2026, the Fashion Police alum donned a short black wig featuring blunt asymmetric bangs to walk the Natasha Zinko x OnlyFans show.
Trading in her signature golden locks, the country music star wrote on Instagram in August 2025, "Well, the last time I saw my natural hair color, I was probably about 12 years old, but I thought it might be time to give it a second chance."
The Marvel actor said goodbye to Bucky Barnes' signature long hair in April 2025, showing off a shaved head at the Los Angeles premiere of Thunderbolts*.
The Queer Eye star had fans doing a double take when he ditched his signature gray hair for a dark brown 'do in April 2026. The fashion stylist noted at the time that the dramatic transformation was for a role and "not a midlife crisis."
The daughter of Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards shared her at-home hair dying journey, including its many missteps, on TikTok and raved about the results.
“I've been wanting to do this to my hair for years now," she said, "and I'm so happy that I finally did it.”
The Help star debuted her "choppity chop," she she put it, on the red carpet of the Breakthrough Prize Ceremony in April 2026.
In July 2025, the actor shaved off his beard for the first time in six years to film Dune: Part Three, which required him to rock a clean shaven look to reprise his role of Duncan Idaho.
The American Idol winner debuted a shorter hairdo in a July 2025 The Voice promo, trading her signature blonde waves for a shorter, darker bob style.
The actor debuted a bearded look, which he sports on season two of The Terminal List, in June 2025.
The Stranger Things star changed up his trademark shaggy hairstyle in May 2025 by debuting a buzzcut at the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards in Tokyo, Japan.
In March 2025, the "Karma" singer debuted her rainbow mohawk at the GLAAD Media Awards.
In a March 2025 TikTok video, the model called this 'do with shaggy bangs the "worst haircut of my life."
The Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup star debuted a short bob in March 2025, more than two months after giving birth to her and fiancé Ken Urker's first child, daughter Aurora Urker.
The formerly blond Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star debuted a red bob on Watch What Happens Live in January 2025.
The model debuted lighter locks in September 2024, a month after giving birth to her and Justin Bieber's first baby, son Jack Blues Bieber.
The Emily in Paris star debuted her dramatic transformation at the world premiere of her new horror movie, MAXXXINE, in June 2024.
"Changing my hair always brings out different sides of my personality and I love playing around," Lily told Vogue. "This cut and color feels bolder and yet somehow lighter. And completely more me—right now."
While attending Chanel's Tribeca Film Festival Artists dinner in June 2024, Katie debuted a subtle, yet striking transformation of rich caramel balayage highlights that were blended throughout her brunette tresses.
The Kardashians star debuted a platinum blonde look and a bob haircut after rocking waist-length strands for quite some time.
"Did someone say they missed king kylie," Kylie teased in the caption of her June 8 Instagram post, to which her sister Khloe Kardashian cheekily replied, "I did! I did!!!!!!"
The former Bravo star debuted a platinum blonde look during 2024 Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture.
The Heads of State star debuted a drastic haircut—a shoulder-grazing bob—while attending a Bulgari event in Rome i May 2024.
In May 2024, the actress chopped her hair into a bob that many fans on social media said reminded them of one of the looks she sported as Mary Camden on the '90s series 7th Heaven.
The Transformers actress returned to her dark brown tresses and debuted a sassy bob in May 2024, a month after she dyed her hair blue to enter what she dubbed her "Jedi era."
At age 17, the daughter of the late Anna Nicole Smith debuted a new lob hairstyle overnight during 2024 Kentucky Derby weekend, which she attended with dad Larry Birkhead.
The singer debuted a lighter, shorter 'do in April 2024.
The Fashion Police alum debuted a blonde bombshell hair transformation May 8.
Back to blonde: Kim debuted a new platinum 'do in April 2024.