‘The Voice’ Season 29: Why Did Kelly Clarkson Miss Battle Round Rehearsals?

Alyssa Norwin March 16, 2026, 10:34 am

What To Know

The Battle Rounds begin on the March 16 episode of The Voice.
Kelly Clarkson had to skip rehearsals with her team ahead of the Battles, with Jennifer Hudson filling in.
Rehearsals took place following the death of Clarkson’s ex-husband Brandon Blackstock in August 2025.

After three episodes of Blind Auditions, the Battle Rounds officially begin in the Monday, March 16, episode of The Voice. Coaches Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, and John Legend all have their teams of 10 and will be putting the artists in pairs to sing duets in the next phase of competition.

As usual, the coaches advised their team members leading up to the Battle Round performances, but Clarkson had to miss rehearsals. Instead, her team was led by her Battle Round mentor, Jennifer Hudson, who was previously a coach on The Voice herself.

While Clarkson was back in her big red chair for the actual competition, she skipped rehearsals following the death of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock. Clarkson shares two children with the late music manager, whom she filed for divorce from in 2020. Blackstock died from melanoma, a form of skin cancer, in August 2025.

Per TV Insider’s preview of The Voice from last week, Clarkson was excited to get back to work and see her team members take the stage. “I really hated that I couldn’t be there for Battle rehearsals, but I got to see the video footage,” Clarkson explained. “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.”

In the Battle Rounds, each coach has one Steal, allowing them to steal a Battle Round loser from another team. Clarkson also has her Super Steal, which she earned from winning the Triple Turn competition in the Blind Auditions. This Steal trumps any other Steal, which means the artist that Clarkson uses it on will automatically join her team.

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After the Battles will be the Knockout Rounds, which will feature an in-season All-Star Competition for the first time. All of the coaches will be bringing back two of their artists from previous seasons to compete in sing-offs, and whoever wins the most sing-offs will get an extra Season 29 artist on their team in the finale.

The Voice, Season 29, Mondays, 9/8c, NBC