Kelly Clarkson celebrates her 23rd anniversary of winning the 2002 debut season of American Idol.
According to PEOPLE, the three-time Grammy winner artist took to Instagram to commemorate her victory on Thursday, September 4. The 43-year-old singer began the post by expressing gratitude to all her fans who supported her throughout the journey.
She wrote, “To everyone that took time 23 years ago to call in and vote for me, thank you 🙏Winning American Idol changed my life and I will be forever grateful for all of you that have supported me for so many years.”
Signing off with a sentimental thought, the Stronger singer added, “It is a gift to find your purpose and passion, and to be able to make a living doing it is the cherry on top. Thank you, always.”
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Celebrating the anniversary with Clarkson, the American Idol’s official Instagram account reposted the tribute and wrote, “THIS is what it’s all about, ©kellyclarkson. You were an icon from the start. We will always love you.”
What makes her victory so reveling and indelible is that the singer became the competition show’s first winner. Resultantly, her name is inevitably associated with American Idol, and it seems that Clarkson also does not want to miss a chance to commemorate the day her life changed forever.
Per PEOPLE, for the 20th anniversary in 2022, the American singer-songwriter took to Instagram to celebrate her victory that “forever changed the course of my life.” Not just that, but the reports also elaborate on the initial notions that the singer harbored about the series.
Appearing on Kylie Kelce’s podcast, Not Gonna Lie, Clarkson revealed that she was initially unaware the competition was a TV series.
She said, “For all of us in that first season, we literally didn’t … I didn’t even know it was a TV show until my third audition. Like, we were literally trying to pay our bills. We’re like, ‘Oh, this might work. I might meet someone or whatever.’ Nobody knew it was gonna amount to anything.”
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Reminiscing about the time she performed on the stage, Clarkson further added, “We were literally, like, kids — you know, 19 years old just trying to pay my electric bill y’all. You know, and afford the deductible on my car that was bashed in that I couldn’t afford. So it was a different thing.”
Be that as it may, Clarkson’s latest Instagram post happens to be her first official interaction with the public after her ex-husband Brandon Blackstock’s death. The music manager, 48, passed away on August 7, succumbing to malignant melanoma, per The Tribune.
Brandon’s death was publicly announced by a family representative who told PEOPLE at that time:
“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away.
Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years. He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family. We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time.”
Clarkson and Blackstock exchanged vows in 2013 and got separated in 2020. They share two children: an 11-year-old daughter, River Rose, and a 9-year-old son, Remy.
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Her previous post, according to Daily Mail, announced her postponement of her Las Vegas residency to spend more time with their children the night before his death.
However, according to NBC, Clarkson is set to commence season 7 of The Kelly Clarkson Show on September 29, 2025, with production expected to begin in the next week.
Per Daily Mail, a litany of celebrities are confirmed to make their appearance this time on Clarkson’s show, including Emily Blunt, Marion Cotillard, Colin Farrell, Scarlett Johansson, Dwayne Johnson, Matthew McConaughey, Lionel Richie, Julia Roberts, Shonda Rhimes, Margot Robbie, Sylvester Stallone, Channing Tatum, and Reese Witherspoon.
According to TMZ, the Catch My Breath singer returned to the set of The Voice after a brief hiatus, reuniting with her fellow coaches, Adam Levine and John Legend. According to the reports, the show is producing two seasons simultaneously. Owing to her ex-husband’s death, the singer had skipped one taping of Season 29 of NBC‘s Battle of the Champions in early August.