Kelly Clarkson Speaks On Rumored Feud With Fellow 'American Idol' Winner Carrie Underwood

During her recent "Watch What Happens Live" appearance, Kelly Clarkson dismissed rumors of a feud with fellow "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood.

Clarkson emphasized that they don't know each other well enough to have any issues.

Keep on reading to learn more.

During her recent appearance on "Watch What Happens Live," Kelly Clarkson addressed and debunked any speculations about a rumored feud between her and fellow "American Idol" winner, Carrie Underwood. Clarkson, who emerged as the victor in the show's inaugural season, expressed her bewilderment over the assumptions made regarding their relationship.

"We don't even know each other well enough to be pitted against [each other,]" Clarkson clarified. "Literally, we've run into each other a handful of times, and there's no beef between us. Nothing between us — we don't know each other. We literally have run into each other a few times."

Clarkson's comment on Underwood was in response to a virtual audience member who had brought up the speculated feud between the two artists while asking a question. After Clarkson squashed the beef rumors, host Andy Cohen asked the caller to finish their question. The audience member continued, "What was your favorite part of having her as a guest on your talk show?"

Amid laughter, Clarkson said, per People, "It was awesome! It was great to have her on the show. I think the thing that was cool about it is that everyone always pits us against each other, and I don't know why they do that." 

She added, "They don't do that with dudes. They only do it with females. And I'm like, we don't even know each other well enough to do that. But I think… I'd love to have her there in person! It was during COVID, so it was over Zoom, which is fine, but it'd be cool."

The absence of tension between the "Idol" veterans is not a new revelation. Back in April 2018, both Clarkson and Underwood debunked any notion of rivalry. In response to a Twitter poll asking which singer was the "most iconic," Clarkson took the opportunity to celebrate their individual successes, stating, "I think we're both winning in life and pretty blessed!"

Underwood echoed the sentiment of support, responding to the poll by expressing her solidarity with Clarkson, saying, "Whatever, girl, I voted for you! But seriously, I do wish more publications would just celebrate women's success without pitting them against each other."

During her recent "WWHL" appearance, Cohen brought Clarkson back to her roots as an American Idol winner with his well-known game, "Plead the Fifth." With his second question out of three, Cohen posed a challenge to Clarkson, asking, "Can you name a winner of American Idol from the past five years?"

Clarkson's immediate response was an exclamation of surprise, followed by a brief pause as she tried to recall recent winners. Despite her best efforts, she was unable to name any of the champions from the show's revival in 2018, which featured Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie as judges.

In her appearance on the podcast "Las Culturistas," Clarkson expressed her admiration for Pedro Pascal, known for his role in "The Mandalorian." Speaking to hosts Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, Clarkson enthusiastically shared her appreciation for the actor's talent.

While speaking about her favorite "Saturday Night Live" hosts, she mentioned singer Justin Timberlake and Pascal and emphasized her good they were on the sketch show. She said, "I thought [Timberlake] did such a great … he was one of my favorites. Oh my God! And Pedro… Pedro Pascal."

Clarkson went on to express her fondness for Pascal, commending him for his performance in the "Waking Up" sketch, where his character wakes up from a long coma, confused and sporting a new accent. She particularly appreciated Pascal's comedic timing and shared her admiration for his talent.

Host Yang acknowledged that the sketch was Pascal's idea, to which Clarkson responded enthusiastically, calling it "brilliant." She emphasized Pascal's comedic abilities, saying, "Like, he's funny! God, he was good."