Though it’s hard to believe, 2027 will mark 25 years since Kelly Clarkson became the first winner of “American Idol,” changing her life and the face of pop culture forever.
Back to filming “The Kelly Clarkson Show” after a holiday break, the powerhouse singer said during a backstage Q&A — posted to social media on January 10, 2026 — that when she looks back on her “Idol” win, she doesn’t think she’s changed all that much over the years.
Kelly Clarkson Says She’s Been ‘Consistently Me’
Clarkson was a 20-year-old cocktail waitress from Texas when she won the first season of “American Idol” in 2002. She went on to have a massive career in entertainment and is still going strong nearly a quarter-century later, from best-selling albums to her Emmy-winning talk show.
She’s also weathered ups and downs in her personal life, including her marriage and messy divorce from former talent manager Brandon Blackstock, who died in August 2025, leaving behind their two kids — daughter River, 11, and son Remington (Remy), 9.
But through it all, Clarkson said in her backstage Q&A that she doesn’t think she’s changed all that much over the years. That’s what she said when her show’s digital director, Andrew Shaw, read aloud a question from a viewer who wondered, “What is a very ‘you’ habit that hasn’t changed in years?”
“I’m consistent, good and bad,” Clarkson laughed. “If I like something, I’m really gonna like it forever. I
feel like I am consistently me. Yeah, and that’s in a good way and bad way, all of it.”
“We were just talking about ‘Idol,'” she added. “I mean, we were just having this conversation. I was like, I’m kind of this same kid, like the same 19-year-old, and not in a bad way. I’ve grown, like, obviously,
emotionally, physically, but I just, mean — no, I’m still kind of the same kid … It’s gonna be 25 years. 2027.”
Watch Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Today Show’ Interview After Her 2002 Win
In September, NBC shared a resurfaced interview Katie Couric conducted with Clarkson in 2002, 36 hours after her big win.
When Couric asked her what she was thinking as she sang “A Moment Like This” while confetti rained down around her, Clarkson said, “I don’t know, I guess I was thinking, ‘There’s so many talented people out there. I can’t believe — who would’ve thunk it, you know, walkin’ in, out of 10,000 people.”
Although it’s widely reported that Clarkson was a waitress before her win, she told Couric, “I’ve done everything. I’ve worked for the zoo, I’ve worked for bookstores, I’ve been a telemarketer, I’ve done door-to-door sales, you name it. You know, ’cause I’m a performer. You never want that job (you have), you always want to do singing. You’re never satisfied.”
