‘American Idol’: Why does Kelly Clarkson hate Carrie Underwood?

Are there clouds hanging over the American Idol universe? Pop sensation Kelly Clarkson wants you to think otherwise. Recently, she had to address some rumors surrounding her alleged spat with her fellow Idol winner, Carrie Underwood. These speculations were stirred on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen earlier this week.

Let’s take a look at all the details we can find to see if there’s any merit to these rumors at all.

American non-rivalry 

People love a good rivalry, but Kelly, at the age of 41, insists there’s none with her Idol counterpart Carrie, who is now 40. She revealed, “We are often put in a face-off, but honestly, we don’t even know each other well enough for that kind of comparison,” she shared with Andy Cohen when asked about their supposed feud. 

“We’ve bumped into each other a handful of times. There’s no bad blood. We barely know each other. Our meetings have been quite few and far between.”

Kelly’s journey in the spotlight started when she won the first season of American Idol in 2002. Three years later, Carrie, then a young artist with a song in her heart and hopes high, also claimed the title in the fourth season. The superstar judges at the time were Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson. Despite their similar paths to fame, the two singers never formed a deep friendship.

But there’s more to the story. Back in December 2020, amid the pandemic, Carrie made a virtual appearance on Kelly’s talk show. When asked by a fan what it felt like to have the Grammy-winning singer on her show, Kelly expressed it was “awesome” and “a joy to have her on.”

Kelly then reflected on how they are often pitted against each other. “I don’t understand why they do that. They don’t do this with the guys. It’s always us women,” she explained. She added with excitement, “I’d love to have her [on the show] in person. It was during COVID, so it was over Zoom. But it’d be so much more fun.”

Momentous reunion

During this virtual reunion on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the two naturally reminisced about their American Idol journeys. Carrie confessed she almost didn’t try out for the show, stating that the thought of going to Hollywood by herself was daunting, especially since she had never been on a plane before. “I had a moment of ‘What am I doing?’ It would have been easier to stay home, but then I wouldn’t be where I am now,” she revealed to Kelly.

This shared moment seemed to resonate with both the singers. After the show, Carrie re-tweeted a clip of their interview, captioning it, “Great catching up with you, @KellyClarkson!”

The underlying story here is that, despite the industry’s attempts to pit two successful women against each other, Kelly and Carrie stand united, brushing off rumors, and appreciating each other’s accomplishments. Is this the beginning of a budding friendship between these two idols? Could there be a power-duet in the future?

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