Few are more surprised by the sustained success of The Kelly Clarkson Show than its host. During recent interviews with Conan O'Brien and Howard Stern, Clarkson revealed that even after she stopped being hesitant about taking the gig, she remained cynical.
On The Howard Stern Show, Clarkson admitted that she needed some convincing to accept NBC's talk show offer after turning down the network twice.
"I am not a comedian, I am not a journalist, I have no experience to do this. Literally, why would you want me to do this?," she said. "My ex really pushed me to do it. He said, 'I think you'd be really good at it.' And so I tried it. And I will say from the pilot, I'd say as long as you're a curious person and you love to engage with people, you love to be communicative, it's kind of an easy job."
On Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, Clarkson explained that she entered the series without considering the talk show flops over the years starring Pat Sajak, Magic Johnson, Chevy Chase and other fellow celebrities.
"I had no idea the failure rate in that industry," she said. "I had only heard of or seen Oprah or Rosie O'Donnell or Ellen or The View. I didn't really know that most people aren't super successful at it."
The Kelly Clarkson Show is far from a failure, gaining enough pop culture steam to win multiple Daytime Emmys and fill the former Ellen time slot.
On O'Brien's podcast, Clarkson put over her many opportunities to chat with new acquaintances —Lainey Wilson included— and longtime heroes.
"I've been able to interview so many people that I looked up to, that I did look up to, that I still look up to," she explained. "Julie Andrews, that was incredible. I had Bonnie Raitt on my show, which is like one of my favorite females to ever exist on the planet."
Clarkson loves being proven wrong about a concept she initially wrote off as being "so odd," especially since her filming schedule frees up time to spend with her children.
"I kind of made a deal with NBC because I love doing The Voice, and I literally did not think it was going to be what it is," she said. "It turned into this heavenly thing of having a 9-to-5 literally with my kids in school, and that's perfect. I'm not having to travel as much as a parent."
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