Kelly Clarkson didn't realise 'American Idol' was a TV show prior to auditioning
The 42-year-old singer became the inaugural winner of 'American Idol' back in 2002, but Kelly wasn't even aware that the show would be broadcast on national TV
29 March 2025
The 'Behind These Hazel Eyes' hitmaker said on the 'Not Gonna Lie' podcast: "For all of us in that first season, we literally didn't ... I didn't even know it was a TV show until my third audition.
"Like, we were literally trying to pay our bills. We're like, 'Oh, this might work. I might meet someone or whatever.' Nobody knew it was gonna amount to anything.
"We were literally, like, kids - you know, 19 years old just trying to pay my electric bill y'all. You know, and afford the deductible on my car that was bashed in that I couldn't afford. So it was a different thing."
Kelly's 'American Idol' experience propelled her towards stardom. But the pop singer has recalled feeling isolated at the time.
She said: "I had no one. I was the first winner. It was hard. Not to sound like, whatever, it was really hard."
Kelly also recalled how some industry figures were "really mean" towards her amid her 'American Idol' success.
The chart-topping pop star - who also served as a coach on 'The Voice' for nine seasons - explained: "People were really mean. People that were really mean have been coaches. You know what I'm saying? Like, hated talent shows. And they ended up being on 'The Voice'.
"It's like, okay. But people were really cruel at first. They didn't like it. It took the industry kind of by storm, the talent shows. It was a very unlikable thing in the industry concerning the populous."
In 2024, Kelly was tipped to replace Katy Perry on the 'American Idol' judging panel.
But the singer distanced herself from the role because she wanted to focus on her family life.
Kelly - who has River Rose, ten, and Remmington, eight, with her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock - told 'Entertainment Tonight': "I can't do that, only because I promised my kids.
"I was like, 'I wanna be there as much as I can.' And it would put me in Los Angeles, and that's why I had to quit 'The Voice', which ... I love that team."
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