Kelly Clarkson Slams ‘Mean’ Coach on ‘The Voice,’ and Fans Think They Know Who
Kelly Clarkson has become known as one of the most successful American Idol winners. She won the first season of the series and now has a talk show of her own, where she interviews celebrity guests and sings on stage. While Clarkson has numerous achievements under her belt, she recently opened up about a “mean” fellow performer who went on to become a coach on The Voice — and fans think they know exactly who she’s talking about.
Kelly Clarkson said ‘people were really cruel’ when she won ‘American Idol’
Kelly Clarkson won American Idol Season 1 in 2002. She went on to become a singing sensation, winning Grammy Awards and finding success in her dream. Clarkson started hosting The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2019, highlighting her ability to connect with other celebrities. While she likely wouldn’t trade her success for anything, it hasn’t always been easy. Clarkson spoke on Not Gonna Lie With Kylie Kelce about how she received a lot of hate when she won the singing reality competition series.
“I had no one,” Clarkson revealed. “I was the first winner. It was hard. Not to sound like, whatever, it was really hard.”
“People were really mean,” she continued. “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, OK. 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.”
Clarkson coached The Voice from seasons 14-21, and then season 23. She called the reality TV competition process “grueling” and “unforgiving.”
“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,” she continued. “It’s a different thing.”
Fans think Kelly Clarkson is referencing Benji Madden
Kelly Clarkson and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte fame had a brief feud in the early 2000s. In 2005, Clarkson made headlines for seemingly taking a jab at Hilary Duff. However, Clarkson’s jabs were in jest. Madden, who dated Duff at the time, thought Clarkson was taking serious hits at Duff, thus resulting in him putting Clarkson on blast on the Good Charlotte website.
“My mom told me if I didn’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all, so I won’t say American Idol sux, but it does make me laugh when someone like Kelly Clarkson disses someone like Hilary Duff. … ‘Cause let’s not forget Kelly (BTW-Kanye West thinks u have a nice a**, I saw him look at it one time … me, I prefer the more fit look), you were a contestant on a TV show. Hilary made herself [sic],” Madden wrote.
“The whole thing is insane,” a spokesperson for Clarkson said at the time, according to the Irish Examiner. “Kelly loves Hilary. Hopefully, we can all just get along.”
Madden later apologized for his remarks. “I heard that she said some petty things about someone that I care deeply about, so I just made some petty remarks — I’m a petty guy,” he said. “I’ll take shots. I love you Kelly. It’s all good!”
Madden and his twin brother coached on The Voice Australia in seasons 4 and 5. Fans on Reddit suspect Clarkson may have referenced the Good Charlotte member in Kylie Kelce’s podcast.
“I remember that Benji Madden went after her and called her fat and he was a coach on The Voice Australia,” a fan wrote on Reddit.
Others think the ‘American Idol’ winner referenced Gwen Stefani
If Kelly Clarkson wasn’t talking about Benji Madden, some fans think she was referencing Gwen Stefani. Stefani coached on The Voice Seasons 7, 9, 12, 17, 19, 22, 24, and 26.
“It was Gwen,” a fan on Reddit wrote. “Gwen made a comment that she earned her status as a musician and wasn’t handed (or won) it. Something like that, I didn’t remember the exact words.”
Stefani and Clarkson never had a documented feud. However, Stefani once admitted feeling “jealous” of Clarkson because of how easily Clarkson appeared to balance motherhood with songwriting.
“Kelly Clarkson kept texting me all these songs she’s writing, and I’m like, ‘Wait a minute, you have babies! When are you writing?'” Stefani recalled on Today. “And I sort of got jealous! And they were good, and I was like, ‘I want to write some songs.'”
However, if Clarkson was texting Stefani, it’s likely the women have a friendship instead of a feud.
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