Oh, the sweet, sweet taste of irony! Kelly Clarkson—queen of belting high notes and handling awkward TV moments with grace—has revealed that some of the very people who once scoffed at her American Idol victory later pulled up a big, comfy red chair on The Voice.
Yes, you read that right. The same people who rolled their eyes at talent shows were soon spinning around in glee when a contestant hit a high note.
During an episode of Kylie Kelce’s Not Gonna Lie podcast, Kelly spilled the tea with a smirk:
“People that were really mean have been coaches. [They] hated talent shows, and they ended up being on The Voice.”
Oh, the plot twists in the music industry! It’s like someone judged a buffet, only to end up managing the dessert table.
From Skeptics to Coaches: A Change of Tune (Literally)
Back in 2002, when Kelly first Since U Been Gone-ed her way into fame, the music industry looked at talent shows like a bad karaoke night that got out of hand.
“People were really cruel at first. They didn’t like it,” she shared. “It took the industry kind of by storm, the talent shows. It was a very unlikable thing in the industry concerning the populous. Now there’s so many.”
Translation: Singing competitions were once the musical equivalent of pineapple on pizza—controversial. Now, they’re everywhere.
Kelly’s Full-Circle Moment
Of course, Kelly herself became a coach on The Voice (because who better to judge than someone who’s actually been judged?). She says her background gives her a unique perspective on what contestants go through.
“People like us who have been there in that audition process, and just being so judged instantaneously, on maybe not your best performance but you know you can do better… It’s a grueling thing,” she explained.
She also noted that handling the pressure of a talent show is no joke—suggesting that even some mega-famous artists might crumble under the spotlight.
“It’s unforgiving in a lot of ways, and a lot of pressure for these artists that I don’t think a lot of artists that sell tons of records would be able to handle. It’s a different thing.”
So, what have we learned? Karma will spin around in a red chair, irony is undefeated, and Kelly Clarkson remains the unbothered, tell-it-like-it-is queen we all need.
