WATCH Kelly Clarkson Talk Past Traumas and Break Down Like Never Before After Hearing BLM Protestor’s Story
NBC Reading Time: 4 minutes
Kelly Clarkson introduced a new segment to her show, The Kelly Clarkson Show called “Behind The Photo.” The coach of The Voice has been a huge supporter of the Black Lives Matter Movement and wants to use her platform to raise more awareness for social justice issues and give people a voice. In this emotional segment, she began tearing up as a protester, Samantha Francine, shared her story behind the photo that depicts her being confronted by an angry man, Jay Snowden, at a protest. Watch the emotional clip below.
Kelly Clarkson Had A Deep Discussion With Viral Black Lives Matter Protester
During the “Behind The Photo” segment, Kelly brought in Samantha Francine, the woman whose photograph has gone viral after she attended a Black Lives Matter protest in Montana. Kelly asked her to explain the photo in which a man is seen getting up in Samantha’s face as she holds a sign. She said it was her second day out protesting. She also said that there were people that would walk by and yell at the protesters and say negative things to them but overall, they were recieved openly. “A lot of love a lot of positive support, people who were getting out of their cars to join us, lots of thumbs up, honks, peace signs,” Samantha said of the passersby.
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Samantha said that there were about 30-40 people at this protest. The particular gentleman in the now-viral photo had been driving around yelling at the protesters from his truck. She said that at first, they didn’t really think of anything of it until the man got out of his car and started a commotion. As one of the older protesters, she asserted herself to try and protect the younger people. The man was caught on video getting in Samantha’s face and shouting obscenities at her. “I had no idea my life was going to change forever,” she said.
Kelly Cried During The Segment Due To Samantha’s Act Of Courage
Kelly praised Samantha for her courage and restraint while getting yelled at by the man. She asked where that courage came from. For her growing up in a predominantly white area in Montana with a white father led to many challenges but he gave her some powerful advice. “No matter who or what the threat is, make sure they look you in the eyes so they acknowledge that you’re human, and in that moment that’s all that I felt.” She said that in that moment she felt “powerful,” she said. At this point, Samantha gets choked up talking about her father’s words and mentioned that he has sadly passed away. Kelly also begins to cry because of how powerful Samantha’s father’s words were with just one sentence. Kelly had to pause for a second so she could collect her thoughts as she continued to get emotional.
Samantha Francine’s life changed forever after she was confronted at a #BlackLivesMatter protest in Montana. The moment of courage and restraint was captured in this powerful photo that has now been shared countless times. Tune in today to hear her story #BehindThePhoto pic.twitter.com/WQH1bRfeCG
— The Kelly Clarkson Show (@KellyClarksonTV) June 23, 2020
The man in the photo has since been arrested. The next day, Samantha made the man’s wife a gift basket. She said that after she realized the image was spreading and going viral, she found out that the man’s wife was also getting hate. For her, it was important to show that women need to stand together. “I wanted her to know that I saw her too,” she said. “She’s not her husband” she continued on to say. Kelly called Samantha “such a great human.
Kelly Also Opened Up About Therapy And Past Trauma
In another remote segment on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Kelly spoke to Chelsea Handler about white privilege. Chelsea who has attended Black Lives Matter protests herself spoke about going to therapy after the death of her brother. Kelly admitted to going to therapy to deal with some issues she has had in the past because there have been several things that have triggered her. “Compartmentalizing only works for so long,” said Kelly. She said that therapy has helped her share things with the fans that can help her heal from past traumas.
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Kelly previously started a social media campaign on The Kelly Clarkson Show with the hashtag #StartTheConversation. She wants people to be able to openly talk about their experiences just as the members of her staff did. She said that George Floyd’s death really put it all into perspective for her and she loves her inclusive staff. And, people have already started sharing the hashtag in the hopes that they can be a part of the change.
