WATCH: Kelly Clarkson Confesses She’s Unable To Recall Names Of Recent ‘American Idol’ Winners
“Oh s—,” she laughed. “In fairness, I don’t — OK… huh.”
Kelly Clarkson; Photo by: Charles Sykes/Bravo
Kelly Clarkson, the original “American Idol,” was recently tasked to name an American Idol winner from the past five years and was completely stumped.
The superstar appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on Tuesday evening (June 27) and played a game of “Plead the Fifth” during her appearance.
In a surprising turn of events, the conversation wound up on American Idol, the show that made Clarkson famous, and she shockingly found herself to be speechless when attempting to answer an Idol trivia question.
“Can you name an American Idol winner from the last five years?” Cohen asked Clarkson.
By the look on her face, it was clear that she was at a loss for words.
“Oh s—,” she laughed. “In fairness, I don’t — OK… huh.”
She continued to rack her brain with an attempt to come up with the name of an American Idol winner.
“No no no! I got one!” Clarkson exclaimed, but ultimately realized, “No. No I don’t have one.”
While Clarkson couldn’t name the past five American Idol winners, they include Iam Tongi (Season 21), Noah Thompson (Season 20), Chayce Beckham (Season 19), Just Sam (Season 18), and Laine Hardy (Season 17).
During her Watch What Happens Live appearance, Clarkson also dished on the long-standing rumor that she has “beef” with fellow American Idol winner, Carrie Underwood. See her response HERE.
In 2002, Kelly Clarkson won over the hearts of millions when she was famously crowned the inaugural champion of American Idol.
Following her big moment on Idol, Clarkson has achieved remarkable success. She has earned three GRAMMYs and released 10 albums, including the just-released Chemistry.
On the new project, which is a result of her 2020 divorce from her husband, Brandon Blackstock, Clarkson opens up about her personal life within the lyrics.
“Having chemistry with someone is an incredible and overwhelming, feeling. It’s like you have no choice in the matter. You are just drawn to each other. This can be good and bad,” Clarkson explained on Instagram. “This album takes you down every path that chemistry could lead you down. We decided to release “mine” and “me” at the same time because I didn’t want to release just one song to represent an entire album or relationship. There are many stages of grief and loss on this album. Each song is a different stage and emotional state.”
Chemistry is a two-sided, 14-track project that features the fan-favorite tunes such as “Me,” “Mine,” “Red Flag Collector” and more.
In addition to mentoring aspiring singers on several seasons of NBC’s The Voice, Clarkson has also ventured into hosting her own daytime talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Clarkson is currently gearing up to launch her 10-date Las Vegas residency, dubbed Chemistry…An Intimate Night With Kelly Clarkson, on July 28 at Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
“I am so excited for these shows and couldn’t think of a better place to get back on stage than Las Vegas! The crowds in Vegas are such an amazing collection of people that simply want to have a great time and that’s what we’re going to do!” said Kelly Clarkson via a press release. “So many of my musical idols have had, and still have, incredible residencies on The Strip, and I’m so excited to create my own!”
Chemistry…An Intimate Night with Kelly Clarkson, which runs through August 19, will feature a set list full of Clarkson’s biggest hits and a unique, intimate production that was built specifically for the venue, formerly known as Zappos Theater.
“I’ll be straight up: I’m gonna be that artist who’s definitely gonna give you all those songs you want to hear, because I hate when I go to shows and people don’t give me that,” Clarkson told Billboard. “So you’re gonna hear all the ones that, honestly, we haven’t performed in forever. We haven’t been able to!”
During the interview with Billboard, Clarkson also promised that “all 10 shows will be different,” and that “there’s definitely gonna be the hits in all of them, but we’re sprinkling in covers that people have liked or album tracks that people have liked here and there. … I’m going to hit all the [new] album, just on different nights.”
Written by
Lauren Jo Black
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.