Kelly Clarkson is revealing some secrets about her time on “American Idol” and “The Voice.”
On March 27, the talk show host appeared as a guest on the “Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce” podcast. During the sit-down, Clarkson reflected on her career, from her start as the first-ever winner of “American Idol” in 2002 until now.
When chatting about the singer capturing the country’s heart on Season One of “American Idol,” Kelce read a tweet from a fan that said, “It’s wild to me that 'American Idol' found America’s best vocalist on their FIRST TRY.”
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Clarkson laughed after hearing the compliment before revealing that she views her time on the show differently than her fans.
“I didn’t even know it was a TV show until my third audition,” she shared. “Nobody knew it was going to amount to anything.”
After the show, Clarkson went on to release hits like “Since U Been Gone” and “Breakaway” and win three Grammys before returning to the singing competition world. In 2018, she became a coach on Season 14 of NBC’s “The Voice.” She remained in her spinning red chair until Season 21. Clarkson then took a short break and coached again in Season 23, marking her final season as a coach.
“I wouldn’t have stopped doing the show had I not moved across the country and been a single mom of two,” she explained, referring to her divorce from ex-husband Brandon Blackstock in 2022.
Although Clarkson bonded with fellow coach Jennifer Hudson, she said that there were some coaches who previously “hated” singing competition shows and contestants like herself.
“Most of the time, all the coaches are incredible. But sometimes it’s like, ‘Oh, OK, you’re treating them less than,” she shared, without naming names.
“People that were really mean have been coaches,” she continued.
The 42-year-old said she likely won’t return to “The Voice” any time soon. Clarkson opened up about exiting the show in an interview with USA Today in 2023.
“Full disclosure, I put on a smile a lot of those times because I was struggling a lot in my personal life,” she said at the time. “I’ve learned a lot about what I’m capable of handling, and also what you should not handle. That was me saying ‘bye’ to ‘The Voice’ and having this big move. I love that family, but I was like, ‘I’m struggling. I can’t smile anymore. I don’t feel like smiling.’”
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