It’s safe to say that Kelly Clarkson is one of the biggest success stories to come out of “American Idol.” Since winning the show’s very first season in 2002, she’s dominated music charts, performed all over the world, and, since 2019, has hosted her own hit talk show. She’s even performed for the pope, no big deal.
When it comes to performing, Clarkson seems to have it under control. But in a recent episode of her show, she sat down with “Saturday Night Live” star Kenan Thompson and revealed there’s one thing that genuinely gives her stage fright, and it surprised fans.
Kelly Clarkson Opens up About Being ‘Terrified’ to Read at Her Children’s Classroom
GettyOn the Jan. 12 episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Clarkson had “Saturday Night Live” star Kenan Thompson as a guest, where he spoke about his new children’s book, “Unfunny Bunny.” During their conversation, Thompson shared that he read the book aloud to kids in a classroom in Harlem, New York. Surprisingly, that led the songstress to reveal that reading books at her own children’s classroom is something that “terrified” her.
“We’ve done so many things, right? On stage, perform for so many people, right? The moment I had to read for my kids’ classroom, I was terrified,” she shared with Thompson.
She even made sure to mention that she’s performed for the pope, which, surprisingly, was a breeze for Clarkson compared to reading a book to children. FYI: Clarkson performed the hymn “Ave Maria” for Pope Benedict XVI in New York in April 2008.
She continued, “I have performed for, like, many things and in that moment, that was the moment that I was gonna die. Yeah, I was so nervous.”
“You don’t want your kid to be like, ‘My mom is such a moron.’ You know? You don’t want your kid to think you’re an idiot, but I was so nervous. Performing for little kids, they have no filter,” she added.
Clarkson Shared an Update On Her Family After Her Ex-Husband’s Passing
GettyClarkson is a devoted mother to two children, River, 11, and Remington, 9, whom she shares with her late ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock. Sadly, Blackstock passed away in August 2025 at the age of 48 after a long and private battle with cancer.
During a Jan. 10 fan Q&A on her talk show’s YouTube page, Clarkson shared a rare update on how her family has been doing since Blackstock’s death.
“There’s been a lot for our family recently, and so, I’ve allowed my kids to sleep with me quite a bit. So it’s my two dogs, two kids, and me,” she shared.
“It’s been really special, though, because the conversations you have during that time are pretty cute. So that’s probably my favorite time,” she added.
According to People, before his death, Clarkson had shared on Instagram that she had to postpone her Las Vegas residency because her children’s father “has been ill” and wanted to be “fully present” for her kids.
“While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children’s father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them,” Clarkson wrote, adding that she appreciated her fans’ “grace, kindness and understanding.”
