Spoiler alert! Minor spoilers ahead for The Voice Season 29 Knockouts that aired April 6. The episode is now available to stream with a Peacock subscription.
The Voice “Battle of Champions” is down to its Top 9, with each of Season 29’s trio of coaches finalizing their teams of three in the Knockout round. After the contestants’ final head-to-head performances, the show did something it had never done before — it welcomed back past winners to compete in the inaugural All-Star Showdown, and one performance was so emotional that Kelly Clarkson was brought to tears.
Five champions from The Voice’s past and one former finalist took the stage for a special in-season competition that aired Monday on the 2026 TV schedule. It was actually wonderful to see so many familiar faces perform on The Voice stage again, but for Kelly Clarkson, hearing Season 17 winner Jake Hoot’s cover of “Desperado” caused a strong emotional reaction. She told him:
Article continues belowI think not only are you one of the best country singers that’s ever been on this show, but I also think you’re, like, a true gentleman, and that’s rare. That part that you did at the end, like, broke me, which is why I’m tearing up. That little falsetto, man, that move, it’s not just a cool move to do. It’s sincere, and it’s why I love music, and it’s why I love all these artists in this room. We’re so lucky… [pauses and begins to cry] We’re so lucky to get to do what we do.
Others in the studio were clearly moved by Kelly Clarkson’s words, including Girl Named Tom’s Bekah Grace Liechty, who was also seen wiping away tears. You can see Jake Hoot’s moving performance below:
In addition to Jake Hoot, Kelly Clarkson welcomed back Girl Named Tom — the first (and so far only) group to ever win The Voice — while Adam Levine brought back the very first Voice champion, Javier Colon, as well as Jordan Smith. John Legend invited his sole winner, Maelyn Jarmon, and Season 25 finalist Renzo, and I’d have to agree with Clarkson that there was something special about hearing them all sing again.
As some of The Voice coaches said, I’d forgotten just how good these singers were, so it was good to be reminded. I also wasn’t aware of some of the success these artists have seen post-show, including Javier Colon winning a regional Emmy in 2025 for his musical tribute to frontline workers and Jordan Smith co-writing the song “Ashes” that Celine Dion recorded for the Deadpool 2 soundtrack.
Overall, though, the All-Star Showdown was all about the emotion that music evokes, and I certainly can’t blame Kelly Clarkson for shedding a few tears. This season was likely not an easy one for the American Idol champ to get through, as she was dealing with the illness and ultimate death of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock. Her absence reportedly caused some “crucial” parts of the season to be delayed, and Jennifer Hudson was called to fill in for her in Battle rehearsals.
As far as the competition goes, though, things are still going Kelly Clarkson’s way. After she won The Voice’s inaugural Triple Turn Competition, her team was also declared the winner of the All-Star Showdown, meaning she’ll take an extra artist into next week’s finals.
Tune in at 9 p.m. ET Monday and Tuesday, April 13 and 14, for The Voice Season 29 Semifinals and Finals on back-to-back nights on NBC.
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