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With more than 20 years on the air, American Idol has become the most popular singing competition television series of all time. From its first season, the winners of this competition show have become big stars. Some of the most popular stars that have been on American Idol include Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Jordin Sparks. Plus, stars such as Adam Lambert, Jennifer Hudson, and Todrick Hall got their big break on this show, despite not winning their respective seasons.
Throughout its 21 seasons, there have been many American Idol controversies, from Adam Lambert Losing To Kris Allen, an on-screen feud between Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey, and most recently, Katy Perry mom-shaming a contestant on the show’s latest season. Well, American Idol’s first season wasn’t free of controversies. Turns out that a contestant asked Simon Cowell to stay away from her for the entire season!
What Simon Cowell First Thought of Kelly Clarkson When She Auditioned for American Idol
The first season of American Idol debuted in June 2002 on the Fox network. It was co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman. While Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell served as judges. Over 10,000 contestants from all across the country auditioned, but only 121 were selected to go on.
Despite the huge amount of contestants that came to the call, things were not looking up for the show during the initial auditions. In fact, things were so bad that Paula Abdul tried to quit eight times only on the first day! “I actually thought I was being punked on the first day. Paula [Abdul] resigned, every singer was out of tune, and I thought, ‘Well this is a joke.’ It got worse, progressively,” Cowell revealed during Kelly Clarkson’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. “So I thought this is an absolute disaster. Like, why did I come here?”
Then, talking about Clarkson’s audition, he said, “And thank God, I remember the day we met you. I remember not just your voice, but your personality. I’m gonna be honest here, I didn’t realize at that point, honestly how good you were. I just liked you. And I was so thankful.” Clarkson had decided to audition for the show after not finding any luck in Los Angeles to star a music career. She soon became a fan favorite and, ultimately, won the competition.
Here’s what Simon Cowell though about Clarkson’s victory: “I remember that moment when your name was called, and I was thinking to myself, ‘Thanks to you, we may have another season.’ I can honestly say to you, thanks to you. You validated what we did, because if we didn’t find a star, there was no point in doing these shows.”
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This American Idol Contestant Asked Simon Cowell to Stay Away from Her for the Entire Season
Simon Cowell has been a judge for many competition shows, both in the U.K. and in the U.S., including The X Factor, Pop Idol, and the Got Talent franchise. He also served as a judge on American Idol between 2002 and 2016. Throughout his time on this show, Cowell made a reputation for himself for being a harsh judge. He even went as far as telling Jennifer Hudson, “you’re out of your depth,” when she was voted off the competition.
As it turns out, during season one of American Idol, Kelly Clarkson asked Cowell to keep his distance from her for the entire season. Just after their first meeting! During the ceremony to uncover Clarkson’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Cowell explained exactly what happened.
“I went up to you afterwards because, obviously, I was thinking, ‘I think you’re gonna win this show.’ I said, ‘I just want to say, that was amazing, Kelly, and I am here.’ You turned around to me and said, ‘Simon… Without being rude, I would much rather we do not talk — seriously until the end of the series.’ And I’m like, ‘Wow, what does that mean? It means stay away from me. I know what I’m doing. I’m focused.'”
But the request had nothing to do with what Clarkson thought about the judge. In her defense, the “Stronger” singer explained, “I didn’t wanna talk to anyone involved that was voting us through. I was just trying to be respectful. Also, I didn’t want you getting in my head — you mess with all those people.”
This Is What Kelly Clarkson Has Been Up to Since Winning American Idol
After winning American Idol, Kelly Clarkson was signed to a record deal with RCA Records, 19 Recordings, and S Records by talent manager Simon Fuller and music mogul Clive Davis. From 2003 to 2023, Clarkson has released 10 studio albums, selling more than 25 million albums and 45 million singles across the world.
In addition to building a successful career, Clarkson has ventured into other projects. In 2016, the signer signed a book deal with HarperCollins for her first children’s book, titled River Rose and the Magical Lullaby. A year later, she join The Voice as a coach for the series’ fourteenth season. And, more recently, she has become a television personality ever since NBC announced that Clarkson’s new talk show was set to replace The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2022.
