Kelly Clarkson and Lionel Richie had a frank conversation on The Kelly Clarkson Show about grief after the pop star returned to her NBC talk show just weeks after her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, passed away from cancer.

Clarkson and Richie were having a ball during their interview when Clarkson brought up a line about grief written in Lionel’s new book, Truly: “Grief is the great teacher of what matters most.” What Richie said next moved her to the point where she cursed on the air, prompting Richie to press his hand to her forehead and vow to “save” her from her own grief.

“I think how you deal with grief is very different for everyone but I do find that very true,” she told Richie. “How did you figure that out?”

Richie explained that, as performers, they are used to rehearsing, but “you can’t rehearse grief.”

“I let go. Believe it or not, I look forward to finding out who am I gonna be, really. Because that’s the real me,” he said.

He then poignantly added, “If it hurts so badly, that means you loved so deeply.”

The statement hit home with Clarkson. “Oh shit,” she responded, though it was bleeped out during the broadcast. “C’mon!”

Richie kept the mood light, however, as he sprung up and pressed a hand to her forehead as if he was performing an exorcism.

“But I can save you!” he said as Clarkson played along and splayed her arms out. “Don’t worry about it!”

Richie was one of the first guests to join Clarkson for the seventh season of her NBC talk show, which began Sept. 29.

The show has continued without a hitch since returning with new episodes. Clarkson had missed several episodes of the show last season for unknown reasons before later postponing her Las Vegas residency, citing Blackstock’s illness. “My children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them,” she announced Aug. 6 on social media. He passed away Aug. 7 after battling cancer for more than three years.

She and Blackstock were married from 2013 to 2022. They shared two children together.

The Kelly Clarkson Show airs weekdays at 3 p.m. on NBC.