When it comes to Kelly Clarkson’s weight loss journey, the singer has been open with fans about how she’s changed her lifestyle in recent years. Some of the ways she’s lost weight include walking, eating more protein, and medication to help with how her body processes food.
Clarkson started some of these changes to her diet and exercise routines when she moved to New York City, where she hosts “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” She shared in an interview that she has a much more active day-to-day living in the city, which has helped with her weight loss. Around the same time, she also started trying out a high-protein diet, which can help with weight loss by keeping you feeling more full and satisfied.
And the original “American Idol” made headlines in May this year when she revealed that she was taking a medication to assist in her weight loss. She explained that she’d had concerns about using such a drug due to problems with her thyroid but eventually decided to try it. She broke the news on her talk show.
RELATED: 18 celebrities who’ve opened up about taking Ozempic or weight-loss drugs
Every time Clarkson makes big appearances, such as at the 2024 Rockefeller Tree Lighting and on the TODAY show in mid-December, fans seem to remark on how the star looks different.
Here’s what to know about Kelly Clarkson’s weight loss journey based on what she’s shared publicly.
What drug is Kelly Clarkson taking to lose weight?
Clarkson did not specify what weight-loss medication she is taking beyond that it is not Ozempic.
She confirmed the rumors during a May episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” when chatting with Whoopi Goldberg, who’s also been open about using Mounjaro, another weight-loss drug.
While the “American Idol” winner was initially unsure about trying medication to lose weight, she said she decided to “because my blood work got so bad.”
“My doctor chased me for like two years, and I was like, ‘No I’m afraid of it, I already have thyroid problems,’” she explained.
“Everyone thinks it’s Ozempic — it’s not. It’s something else,” she told Goldberg. “But it’s something that aids in helping break down the sugar. Obviously my body doesn’t do it right.”
She added that she didn’t notice how much weight she’d gained prior to starting the medication. But catching a glimpse of herself on camera one day prompted her to pause and ask herself “Who the f–k is that?” she recalled.
“My heaviest, I was like 203, and I’m 5 foot 3 and a half,” Clarkson continued. “It’s funny because people assume, ‘Oh she must’ve been miserable, depressed, whatever,’ and I was like, ‘No I was not.'”
“I was never insecure about it, I was happy,” she added.
After sharing that she was using a weight-loss medication, Clarkson faced a wave of backlash which Goldberg addressed on an episode of “The View.”
Clarkson was on the receiving end of criticism from those who said she’d previously claimed she lost weight by walking. “Here’s a point about that,” Goldberg said. “A lot of people are taking this shot because the need it. Some people need (their) bodies jumpstarted, some have diabetes, there’s lots of reasons. She has been walking, but this has helped.”
Goldberg went on to point out the hypocrisy of the comments. “They kick her behind when she’s bigger, they kick her behind when she’s lost the weight, and now they’re kicking her behind because she said it out loud.”
How did Kelly Clarkson lose weight?
In addition to taking a weight-loss drug, Clarkson has made lifestyle changes for her long-term health.
In January 2024, she credited her move to New York City for helping her get active. In an exclusive interview with People, she revealed that she’s lost weight because she’s now taking her wellness seriously and walking more.
She did not address her gym routine but said, “Walking in the city is quite the workout.”
Clarkson chose to relocate her talk show to New York from Los Angeles in 2023. “I was very unhappy in L.A. and had been for several years. I needed a fresh start,” Clarkson told People. California, she said, wasn’t good for her mental health.
In New York, she adopted a few other wellness trends, too. “I’m really into infrared saunas right now. And I just got a cold plunge because everybody wore me down,” the “Piece By Piece” singer added.
As for her diet, Clarkson isn’t doing anything extreme.
“I eat a healthy mix,” she told People. “I dropped weight because I’ve been listening to my doctor — a couple (of) years I didn’t. And 90% of the time I’m really good at it because a protein diet is good for me anyway. I’m a Texas girl, so I like meat — sorry, vegetarians in the world!”
“But I still splurge. The other night I had a frozen yogurt with my daughter, and it was magical,” added the Grammy winner, who shares daughter River Rose, 10, and son Remington, 8, with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.
Kelly Clarkson’s thyroid and other health issues
Clarkson has spoken before about her thyroid and autoimmune issues and trying to lose weight to address them.
For example, she changed her diet and ended up losing about 37 pounds, she told TODAY’s Hoda Kotb in 2018.
“I know the industry loves the weight gone, but for me, it wasn’t really the weight,” Clarkson said at the time.
Back then, to lose the weight, Clarkson focused on a lectin-free diet, she told Extra. Lectins are the proteins that bind carbohydrates. (Talk to a health professional before making any major changes to your diet, such as removing carbs.)
Clarkson read a book about lectins and cut them out of her diet which meant no legumes, beans, whole grains, dairy and certain veggies.
“I literally read this book, and I did it for this autoimmune disease that I had and I had a thyroid issue, and now all my levels are back up,” she said during the interview. “Literally, I haven’t worked out at all.”
During a January 2024 episode of her talk show, she revealed she was prediabetic.
“I wasn’t shocked,” Clarkson said. “I was a tiny bit overweight. … They were like, ‘You’re prediabetic. You’re right on the borderline.’ And I was like, ‘But I’m not there yet.’”
Two years after finding out, she decided to change her lifestyle habits.
Having prediabetes means your blood sugar levels are higher than normal but still lower than the range for Type 2 diabetes, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Exercise and a healthy diet can help reduce the risk of it progressing.
Kelly Clarkson’s weight struggles
Throughout her years in Hollywood, the “American Idol” star has had to deal with a lot of commentary about her size.
She told Glamour UK in 2020 that being thin doesn’t always give her more confidence, adding that she got her coaching role on “The Voice” after gaining some weight.
“I got on the No. 1 television show at my heaviest point, because it was right after I had kids, and it was like they didn’t care,” Clarkson said.
“Paul (Telegdy, chairman of NBC Entertainment) hired me from NBC because he loved my personality, he loved that I connect with people and I’m really raw and real. It had nothing to do with my sex appeal or my look aesthetically. It had to do with me as a person. I think it’s really up to artists to force people to have that mentality.”
Clarkson and TODAY’s Jenna Bush Hager bonded over weight struggles when Jenna and her twin sister, Barbara Pierce Bush, appeared on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in November 2023.
During the conversation, Clarkson showed a photo of Jenna and Barbara dressed identically as kids.
“Those drop waist things were popular,” Jenna said of the dresses she and her sister were wearing in the pic. Clarkson interjected, “Which is not good for girls with curves later on.”
After Jenna remarked that she and Barbara “were chubby” as children, Barbara agreed: “Well, there was a stage.”
Clarkson then gave Jenna a high-five, joking, “I’ve had many stages.”