‘American Idol’ Winners Fantasia, Kelly Clarkson Reveal Why They Hate Watching Themselves on The Show
Photo by: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal Reading Time: 2 minutes
Kelly Clarkson and Fantasia Barrino connected over their shared hatred of revisiting old American Idol clips, despite winning two of the show’s most popular seasons. Their humorous honesty highlights the cringeworthy experience of seeing early career performances.
Fantasia, Kelly Clarkson Reveal The Reason They Hate Watching Themselves on American Idol
During a Kelly Clarkson Show appearance, longtime friends Clarkson and Barrino cringed together over watching American Idol footage. Clarkson had to view her first season for a project and asked Barrino if she ever did the same.
“A good glass of wine always sends me back, I kid you not,” Barrino said. “I don’t know if you’re like me, I hate watching myself with a passion.”
Clarkson wholeheartedly agreed on despising self-viewing before joking not even heavy drinking could get her through a full rewatch. The inaugural Idol winner added that pushing through recent footage felt so taxing. The singers high-fived in mutual support over finding their early TV work embarrassing yet crucial for their careers.
Barrino expanded on always needing some cabernet courage before revisiting her season three Idol clips. She described the agonizing experience of noticing every minor flub or awkward gesture that felt glaring through modern eyes.
Clarkson echoed that torturous sentiment in detailing her recent mandated rewatch. She highlighted cringing at outfit choices that seemed stylish at the time but now made her shudder. However, reliving her earnest early song interpretations stirred up some unexpected nostalgia too amidst the discomfort.
The two powerhouses chuckled over universally relating to the nail-biting awkwardness of seeing early career footage. Yet beneath any embarrassing moments lies documentary evidence of the first steps on their pathways to success stories still unfolding today.
The Two Idol Winners Are Thankful For Their Time on The Show
As the first and third American Idol winners, Clarkson and Barrino’s dislike of revisiting early performances underscores most artists’ uncomfortable self-criticism. Yet their continued friendship and blockbuster success proves not even self-described cringeworthy moments can undermine their talent.
Clarkson recently reflected on her 2002 win’s “door that opened up so much access and opportunity,” leading to two decades of music and TV partnerships. Meanwhile, Barrino explained past struggles with instant fame before celebrating her Color Purple comeback and first Golden Globe nomination.
So between Clarkson gearing up for talk show fame and Barrino starring in an Oscar-contending musical, former secondhand embarrassment hardly hinders the superstars now. Their humorous honesty simply spotlights the universal discomfort facing one’s earlier artistic attempts.
