Kelly Clarkson turns daytime TV into a cinematic Halloween vignette — with a forest that felt alive on stage

LOS ANGELES — Kelly Clarkson opened her Halloween broadcast with the type of reveal that proves daytime television can still be true live entertainment.

Before she ever sang a note, she showed viewers a stage that looked like it had drifted in from a dream: tall, moss-covered trees; low rolling fog; an ember-lit campfire; and a soft, floating figure in the mist. It was detailed enough that the studio cameras barely needed movement — the set itself told a story in stillness.

Clarkson’s own costume added a direct reference point — a “Stevie Nicks ghost” interpretation, as she jokingly described it — complete with long, flowing hair and gauzy fabrics with metallic shimmer. It functioned as both a music nod and a fully formed visual character. It also framed her costume not as imitation, but as atmosphere — a rock-icon silhouette, but seen through a Halloween lens.

A band with its own cast of characters

The show’s musicians leaned into the moment together. Each member of My Band Y’all debuted a different classic creature — the effect was less “one shared concept” and more “each player as their own Halloween postcard.” Clarkson’s side comments about the cast of looks were light, friendly jokes — almost like she wanted the audience to feel included in an inside bit, not simply watching costumes from afar.

A seasonal staple re-imagined for television

The musical centerpiece was a stylized version of “Monster Mash” — staged and captured the weekend prior like a short music film, then presented on the broadcast with the live environment as a prelude and frame. Clarkson’s vocals — strong and direct — turned the novelty track into something more dynamic, more wink-and-showmanship than camp.

An A-team making TV look like film

Clarkson also deliberately pulled focus to the crew — praising the art direction, wardrobe, and effects specialists that engineered the visual world. It underscored something often not said aloud in daytime TV: this format still has the flexibility and tooling to build one-off spectacle when the production team is given the runway.

The audience — also in costume — made it clear the atmosphere was communal, not just observed.

An episode that used Halloween as a full canvas

Nothing about the broadcast felt like a small seasonal gesture. It felt like a themed variety special inside a single hour.

Clarkson often merges music and personality in ways that feel loose and unforced. This might be one of the clearest examples this year: theatrical, but not heavy; playful, but with refined execution.

A Halloween segment — but upgraded to a set-piece.