Features, new music, the books, the film, and behind-the-scenes from the show.
The Kelly Clarkson Show aired its series finale on August 31, 2026, closing a seven-season run of more than 1,200 episodes. Jason Halbert, the show's music director since its 2019 launch, led the band through a career-spanning Kellyoke set and a final performance of "Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters, the most-requested Kellyoke song in the segment's history.
BillboardA feature on Architect, the final installment of The Goodpasture Chronicles by Jason and Rhonda Halbert (writing as R.J. Halbert). The piece frames the trilogy as a story that began as a personal journey through grief and became an award-winning exploration of faith, healing and generational consequence.
Patheos (Reel Faith / DeWayne Hamby)Kelly Clarkson's 2026 single "I'd Be Lyin'" (released July 17, 2026) was co-written by Clarkson with Jason Halbert and Jaco Caraco, who also produced the track. The release coincided with the 2026 run of her Studio Sessions residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace and her return to The Voice.
KXT 91.7The 2026 Daytime Emmy nominations include The Kelly Clarkson Show (Episode 5033) for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Daytime Program, alongside nominations for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series and Talk Series Host. The 53rd Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony is scheduled for October 30, 2026, at the Hollywood Palladium.
BillboardCCM Magazine traces Jason Halbert's path from his early contemporary Christian music years (including SonicFlood) to co-authoring The Goodpasture Chronicles with his wife Rhonda. The piece marks the release of Architect, the trilogy's conclusion.
CCM MagazineArchitect, book three of The Goodpasture Chronicles, was released June 3, 2026. The release notes that Caretaker received the 2025 Bill Fisher Silver Award and that Servant earned a Kirkus Blue Star and a 2026 American Legacy Book Awards finalist nod, and mentions plans for a television adaptation and a young-adult spinoff.
The Media Collective (press release)Jason and Rhonda Halbert appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show on June 2, 2026, the day before Architect's release, to discuss closing out the trilogy. The conversation covers how the series grew out of a period of family loss and how the couple wrote their way through it.
The Kelly Clarkson Show (YouTube)Angel Studios' animated musical DAVID, which grossed roughly $90 million worldwide after its December 19, 2025 theatrical release, arrived on Netflix in the US on June 3, 2026 and quickly became the platform's top film. Jason was the film's Executive Music Producer and music director; Rhonda Halbert served as music supervisor.
What's on NetflixThe GMA previewed the June 3, 2026 release of Architect and the Halberts' scheduled June 2 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. The article describes the trilogy as the couple's way of processing a long journey of grief shaped by family loss and personal hardship.
Gospel Music Association (gospelmusic.org)NBCUniversal announced on February 2, 2026 that The Kelly Clarkson Show would end after its seventh season, with Clarkson citing a decision to prioritize her children. Jason Halbert served as the show's music director for its entire run, from the 2019 premiere through the August 31, 2026 finale.
The Hollywood ReporterA Nashville Lifestyles profile of Jason and Rhonda Halbert covering Jason's decades as Kelly Clarkson's music director and the couple's second career as the bestselling author team R.J. Halbert.
Nashville LifestylesA New York Live sit-down covering two decades at the keys with Kelly Clarkson, the daily puzzle of Kellyoke, and the Goodpasture Chronicles.
NBC New York · New York LiveServant, book two of The Goodpasture Chronicles, was released November 18, 2025 and immediately hit No. 1 on Amazon's Metaphysical best-seller list. The Halberts appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show on release day, with additional coverage on Chicago Today, CBN News and Patheos; the audiobook is narrated by Henry Ian Cusick.
The Media Collective (press release)Kirkus Reviews gave Servant a starred review ahead of its November 18, 2025 publication, calling it "an entertaining occult thriller that mixes captivating magic with bracing psychological realism." The Kirkus star is the Blue Star distinction cited in later press for the book.
Kirkus ReviewsAngel released the 12-track songs album for DAVID on November 7, 2025, ahead of the film's December 19 theatrical opening, with songs by Jonas Myrin and a score by Joseph Trapanese. Jason served as the film's Executive Music Producer and music director, directing the Budapest Film Orchestra for the score sessions; a 32-track score album followed on December 19.
Angel Studios (press release)Caretaker received the 2025 Bill Fisher Silver Award and a Gold American Legacy Book Award, adding to a list that includes the 2024 Gold Readers' Favorite Book Award (Fiction: Supernatural), the 2024 International Book Award (Fiction: Horror) and the 2024 Literary Titans award. The book went on to be described as nine-time award-winning.
EIN PresswireIn an exclusive tied to the season 7 premiere, Jason Halbert explains how Kellyoke arrangements come together, from constantly listening for ideas to fitting pieces around Clarkson's range across genres. He notes that even when an arrangement is not working, Clarkson is quick not to throw it away.
ParadeTV Insider recaps Jason Halbert's Entertainment Weekly interview previewing season 7 Kellyokes, including Sam Fischer's "Carry It Well," another Whitney Houston cover, the show's first-ever Queen cover ("Another One Bites the Dust") and multiple Maren Morris songs. The season also added new segments such as "Life Well Lit" and "Celeb With Skills."
TV InsiderJason Halbert tells EW that Clarkson and her band Y'all would cover a wide range of genres in season 7, starting with the premiere's take on The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" and later tackling Queen for the first time. The interview was published on the season 7 premiere day.
Entertainment WeeklyMusicRow covers the full-cast Caretaker audiobook, featuring Erick Avari, Michael Shanks, Hayley Orrantia, Brandon Engman, Charles Esten and Kelly Clarkson, narrated by Henry Ian Cusick, with an original song from Amy Grant and a score by Joseph Trapanese. The article notes the audiobook's availability at rjhalbert.com ahead of a wider platform release that summer.
MusicRowA Texas Monthly profile of Jason Halbert, the Grammy-winning Texas native who has been Kelly Clarkson's music director since 2003 and who leads the Kellyoke segment on her talk show. The piece covers his musical upbringing, his Grammy for producing Stronger, and how each Kellyoke is built.
Texas MonthlyOn the Caretaker audiobook's release day, Amy Grant joined Jason and Rhonda Halbert and Erick Avari on The Kelly Clarkson Show, where Clarkson recounted that Grant is the reason she first found Halbert as her music director. Grant performed "Home (Lyana's Song)" on the same episode.
The Kelly Clarkson Show (YouTube)Amy Grant recorded the original song "Home (Lyana's Song)," written from the perspective of Caretaker character Lyana Keane, whom she also voices in the audiobook. Jason Halbert produced two versions of the track at Nashville's Blackbird Studios; the audiobook, featuring Erick Avari, Michael Shanks, Hayley Orrantia, Brandon Engman, Charles Esten and Kelly Clarkson, narrated by Henry Ian Cusick, was released May 7, 2025.
The Media Collective (press release)In a lighthearted on-air moment, Jason Halbert admitted which of Kelly Clarkson's biggest hits he likes least after more than two decades of playing it. Billboard's write-up highlights the long-running rapport between Clarkson and her music director.
BillboardTV Insider walks through the making of a Kellyoke — from song selection to arrangement to the live take — with the show's music director.
TV InsiderJason and Rhonda Halbert appeared in the first half of the July 11, 2024 broadcast of Coast to Coast AM to discuss the real-life experiences in haunted homes that inspired Caretaker. They described unsettling discoveries in a California house and shared family experiences that fed the novel.
Coast to Coast AMThe Kelly Clarkson Show won Outstanding Daytime Talk Series for the fourth consecutive year at the 51st Daytime Emmy Awards on June 7, 2024. Jason Halbert is among the show's credited producers on the winning entry.
BillboardKirkus reported on Jason and Rhonda Halbert's Kelly Clarkson Show appearance ahead of Caretaker's publication by Eald Talu House. During the segment Jason announced that Clarkson would voice a role in the audiobook, and Kirkus's critic called the novel "an imaginative series debut with a spooky plot, chilling details, and a wholesome family."
Kirkus ReviewsJason Halbert was nominated for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for The Kelly Clarkson Show at the 50th Daytime Creative Arts & Lifestyle Emmy Awards, held December 16, 2023. The category was won by Apple TV+'s Home.
Daytime Emmy AwardsNBC Insider goes inside the rehearsal room with My Band Y'all, the Kelly Clarkson Show house band directed by keyboardist Jason Halbert with vocal director Jessi Collins, guitarist Jaco Caraco, bassist Joe Ayoub and drummer Lester Estelle II. The piece shows how the band prepares Kellyoke and guest performances each week.
NBC InsiderE! News follows Jason Halbert through a working day on The Kelly Clarkson Show, from morning prep through Kellyoke, bumper music and guest performances. Halbert explains that the team tries to rehearse two weeks out to allow time for arrangements, reference vocals, lighting and camera planning.
E! NewsYamaha profiles Grammy-winning Yamaha Artist Jason Halbert and how he uses technology to run music on The Kelly Clarkson Show, including an on-set system that lets the band preview cues in their in-ear monitors seconds before playing. The piece also covers his earlier touring work with Lady Gaga, Reba McEntire, Billy Ray Cyrus and others.
Yamaha Music (hub.yamaha.com)Vulture goes behind the scenes on the opening segment of The Kelly Clarkson Show, with Jason Halbert explaining how a different cover gets arranged, rehearsed and performed live for every episode.
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