The Voice: Jennifer Hudson To Fill In For Kelly Clarkson Following The Death Of Clarkson's Ex-Husband

One American Idol alum is helping out another.

Jennifer Hudson is stepping in for Kelly Clarkson as a coach on the upcoming Season 29 of NBC's The Voice following the death of Clarkson's ex-husband Brandon Blackstock earlier this month. It's just a temporary replacement, though: Hudson filled in for Clarkson for one episode of rehearsals for the Battles round, Deadline reports, with Clarkson returning soon after to reclaim her big red chair.

Hudson is no stranger to The Voice: She served as a coach on Seasons 13 and 15, and has served as a mentor to the singers in other seasons as well. Season 29, dubbed Battle of Champions, brings back winning coaches Clarkson, Adam Levine and John Legend for an all-new competition; it's slated to air next spring on NBC. (Season 28, with coaches Reba McEntire, Michael Bublé, Niall Horan and Snoop Dogg, airs this fall.)

Clarkson's ex-husband and former manager Brandon Blackstock died Aug. 7 at the age of 48 after a battle with cancer; he and Clarkson shared two children together. Clarkson postponed her Las Vegas residency to be with her children during their father's final days. Her syndicated talk show, though, is "on track to start production in early September as scheduled," per Deadline.