"Kelly Clarkson"

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Speaker 2 Guys,

Speaker 3 who's fired up to do some podcasting? What kind of energy do you feel when you're going to just podcast the shit out of somebody?

Speaker 1 I'm going to do it. I raced downstairs.
I didn't even take a shower. I put my headphones on, I saw you guys, I got really excited.
We're gonna chat today, and then I'm gonna take a shower.

Speaker 3 You don't have anything prepared for this cold opening? Do you need anything?

Speaker 1 No, I usually have hot coats.

Speaker 2 What are you holding in your hand?

Speaker 3 Yeah, it's the that's his first little wrist when he's typing.

Speaker 2 Do you do that much typing where you need a little pad for your wrists?

Speaker 1 I just had like I had carpal tunnel in my hand, uh-huh. And then what happened?

Speaker 3 You decided to use the other hand. All right, good for you.
Welcome to Smartless. Smart.

Speaker 3 Less

Speaker 3 Smart

Speaker 3 Less

Speaker 3 Smart

Speaker 3 Less.

Speaker 3 So we already know that our mystery guest is a female and she's no stranger to a giggle.

Speaker 2 She keeps it light. She likes to giggle.
Yeah.

Speaker 3 And that's what we know so far. So

Speaker 2 are you doing early guessing game? Yeah.

Speaker 3 Let's start. You know what? We've never,

Speaker 3 give me the first letter of the first name.

Speaker 2 No.

Speaker 3 Okay, first letter of the last name.

Speaker 2 No. Okay.

Speaker 2 No. All right.
I just decided, I was like, you know what? You know what? No.

Speaker 2 I should go. Yes, And I should, right?

Speaker 2 No.

Speaker 3 All right, well, then let's get into our

Speaker 3 opening pattern. Or some pattern.
Sean, do you have anything prepared?

Speaker 2 Here we go. Hidden access profile.

Speaker 1 But I'm drinking tea. I was going to ask you, do you leave your tea bags in or do you take them out? Today mine are in.

Speaker 2 Something sexual. I know.
There is something.

Speaker 3 Is it the last time you were teabagged in or out?

Speaker 2 Was I teabagged in? Now, Sean, are you a little bit under the web?

Speaker 1 He is. I was just telling Jason, I hope I didn't get you guys sick on Tuesday.
And I reminded him. I don't think I did.

Speaker 3 I reminded him that it was all, there was no open mouth kissing at all.

Speaker 2 It was all closed.

Speaker 3 I kept asking you actually to stop kissing and don't look at me.

Speaker 2 Because you usually say eyes on me, open eyes, eyes on me.

Speaker 3 Eyes, please. Eyes, please.

Speaker 1 Hey, that's a good question. When you guys kiss your significant other, do you keep your eyes open or do you close them?

Speaker 2 Whole time.

Speaker 2 Whole time?

Speaker 2 The whole time.

Speaker 2 Wide open. Looking real.
You know what I like to do?

Speaker 3 I like to stare right into the makeup artist's eyes when they're powdering me.

Speaker 2 It really freaks them out.

Speaker 3 Yeah. No blinking, just hard eye contact when they're powdering me.

Speaker 3 Tracy, getting powdered is something that's common and not freaky for people in front of the camera.

Speaker 1 But Jason, you famously don't wear a lot of makeup when you do your gigs.

Speaker 3 Well, the stuff I've been doing lately, you're not meant to look healthy or happy.

Speaker 2 You got that covered and that role you've been playing for 20 years.

Speaker 2 Yeah,

Speaker 3 I'm going into a new thing, yeah. Or it's, I just don't think I'm going to be much in the makeup trailer at all.

Speaker 2 Yeah. You got a real look going these days.
I know, right?

Speaker 3 This stupid hair. I think I do need to get it thinned out.

Speaker 2 No, no, no, no. Oh, what a bummer.
Hair is too thick. It's too thick.
I mean,

Speaker 2 by the way,

Speaker 2 Shawnee, I noticed you were sneezing.

Speaker 1 No, no, I caught. That was a cough.

Speaker 2 Oh, that was a cough. You're coughing.
I'm saying if you guys

Speaker 1 feel anything by Saturday or Sunday, you're in the clear.

Speaker 2 Okay.

Speaker 3 I got to wait. This is, there's a five-day incubation period in your virus.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 4 Great. No, I think we're fine.

Speaker 3 I think we're all right. What about Scotty? Does he have it?

Speaker 1 He had it before, but I didn't get sick from him.

Speaker 2 Well, we know why.

Speaker 2 Why?

Speaker 3 Listener, Sean's really on the skids with Scotty.

Speaker 3 There's a countdown for the

Speaker 1 minute.

Speaker 2 No.

Speaker 3 You guys are about the best couple I've ever met.

Speaker 2 I know.

Speaker 1 We all have great partners.

Speaker 2 We do. And I was describing Scotty the other day to somebody's asking me, and I said, he's just the nicest, sweetest dude.
He's so considerate.

Speaker 1 He is, and he looks like a box. He's in the shape of a box.

Speaker 2 Okay. Well, I didn't get into that, but

Speaker 3 a boxy bear.

Speaker 2 But he is such a sweet, sort of legitimately considerate person. Yeah,

Speaker 1 he's the nicest person I've ever met.

Speaker 3 And not from Canada.

Speaker 2 I know. I know.
You'd think he would be. Shockingly, I know.

Speaker 1 Because all those Canadians are super nice.

Speaker 3 Will introduced Sean and I to a couple of Canadians the other day who were just like right out of the middle of the page for like, well, well-intentioned.

Speaker 3 People tell you Canadians are friendly, but like, I don't know. Well, then you meet them.
It's like, yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 1 They're all like the nicest people in the world.

Speaker 3 And it's not learned. It's not contrived.
It's just so genuine.

Speaker 2 Well, you know, Paul is Canadian, but Jenny's American, but has literally been a little bit of a city.

Speaker 3 I wasn't getting as nice a vibe off of her.

Speaker 2 Yeah, that's interesting. That's a good point.

Speaker 1 You're getting a selfish, kind of self-absorbed.

Speaker 3 Something domestic, yeah.

Speaker 2 I tell you, he's got a pretty good vibe. Uh-oh, nice to see you.
This is the segue.

Speaker 3 Here comes giggles.

Speaker 2 Tell you who's got a pretty good vibe is our guest today.

Speaker 2 Do you like

Speaker 2 people who can do different things?

Speaker 3 She is a juggler from northern Saskatchewan.

Speaker 2 They can go on to Broadway, Sean. You like Broadway? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
They can go on to Broadway. They can sing songs.
They can sell records.

Speaker 2 They could sell 25 million albums worldwide, 40 million singles. Wow.
Have a multi-Emmy award-winning daytime talk show.

Speaker 2 Can be really plugged into the heart of America because this person was found and discovered in the heart of America. She's one of the most successful

Speaker 2 all-time. Yes, guys, it's Kelly Clarkson.
Yeah, I got it. Hi, Kelly.

Speaker 2 I was like, hello.

Speaker 3 Willie guessed my guest the other day. Now I got you back.

Speaker 2 I know you did. You did.
Hi, Kelly Clarkson. Hi, Kelly.

Speaker 3 Kelly, I haven't seen you since Saturday Night Live, maybe?

Speaker 5 Oh my gosh. I, okay, so I

Speaker 5 was going to bring it up. I don't even know if you, I just like, I don't know if you remember that I was on there with you, but of course.
I was terrified of you.

Speaker 2 Oh, well, I was

Speaker 2 terrified. I was terrified of you.
No, you were so nice.

Speaker 5 I just, I was like,

Speaker 5 I literally, I remember telling my band, I was like, I had like a whole prep talk. I was like, don't fucking talk.
You're going to say something stupid.

Speaker 5 I was like, just smile and just stand there. And I was like, very nervous.

Speaker 2 That whole week, I was petrified. Was that your first?

Speaker 5 Oh, you did amazing. And you were so nice.

Speaker 5 I just think when you are a fan of someone, so much so, and you love their like personality and they, you know, you're very charismatic, you're funny and quick.

Speaker 5 And so I was like, just don't, just don't say something stupid.

Speaker 2 Well, you might.

Speaker 5 I don't think I even spoke much to you.

Speaker 2 You might want to withhold on the personality part.

Speaker 2 You know what I mean? Just give me a little bit.

Speaker 5 Well, I like a dry wit asshole, so he's right down the show.

Speaker 2 Oh, well, that is welcome. Welcome to Smart Life.

Speaker 2 Welcome to Smart Live. Sorry, you're going to love him.
You're going to love him. You're going to love him.

Speaker 1 Now, I have a question about, like, I remember, I'm so sorry you get these questions all the time. That's okay.

Speaker 1 Go ahead. In 2019 or 2000, when American Idol first started, and then I remember Megan Malally, who I did Will and Grace with, she's like, you got to come watch.
And I didn't watch the show,

Speaker 2 Tracy, what Will and Grace is.

Speaker 5 I love, no, I'm telling you, I love her and Nick. I'm obsessed with them.

Speaker 2 They're great. Yeah.

Speaker 1 I know, I love them too.

Speaker 1 And they, and Megan called me in her dressing room. She's like, you got to watch this show.
I'm like, what is this? It's American Idol. And of course, everybody knows the story.

Speaker 1 You, you know, little town girl makes it big on the show and then becomes this big pop star, blah, blah. So, but there's a sense that I've always felt around you that America is like you're ours.

Speaker 1 Like, do you ever, do you constantly get bombarded by people who feel like they had a hand in your success?

Speaker 5 Oh, absolutely. But But I mean, that's a very true statement.
So

Speaker 2 for all of us, really? Yeah. I mean, I think

Speaker 2 American audience.

Speaker 1 But I mean, I mean, that show is so massive and it was, and you were the first one. And then, so it's, you're easy to root for because everybody loves you and you're so likable and I love you.

Speaker 2 And debatable, but yes.

Speaker 1 And, and, and, but to see you go from the little town girl that nobody knew to every single thing that you conquered over the years, I get, I imagine people come up to you on the street and just be like, have a sense of ownership almost in a different way.

Speaker 5 Yeah, I mean, I think it works for me because, like I said, I'm from a very small town. So,

Speaker 5 so I'm kind of used to like that. Like even doing like talent shows as a kid or like even doing musicals or, you know, I've kind of used to like everyone knowing your name.
It's like cheers.

Speaker 5 You know, like I'm, I'm used to that vibe. And I think that's why people are always like, oh, you, you're.

Speaker 5 so

Speaker 5 um you know open with like any human i'm like yeah i

Speaker 2 and on your talk show you're just, you're very open. You talk about everything.

Speaker 3 Yeah. I love that, Kelly.
You're just like, well, it's not really that much of an effort to not be an asshole.

Speaker 3 What are you saying?

Speaker 5 Well, it depends on the person, Jason.

Speaker 5 Sometimes there's a lot of effort. Yeah.
But, but no, it's like, I think because I have that small town mentality,

Speaker 5 it's always been very easy for me. And I don't mind, like, I always say, I still at 41, like, will be at Walmart in Butte, Montana and go, thank you.
Cause they're like, oh, I voted for you.

Speaker 5 And I'm like, thank you. That changed my life.
I was a pretty great, solid waitress, but like, I really like what I'm doing now.

Speaker 2 Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're like, thank you, but you're, now you're blocking my Range Rover.
Okay.

Speaker 2 Wait, Kelly, Kelly, you, so speaking of that, like, now we're on that sort of the American Idol thing. And I watched you too, like, like everybody, when that, especially that first season.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 And you were

Speaker 2 undoubtedly, you're, I would say, and I might get some pushback, I think you're the greatest American idol that there ever was. You were the first and you were the best by far.

Speaker 5 I would not argue that.

Speaker 2 I'm just kidding. No, I know you would.

Speaker 2 I'm just kidding. No, but you legitimately have a great voice.

Speaker 3 Discovery, would that show have really carried on to the heights that it was? Like, look what they can find.

Speaker 2 Yeah, who knows? I mean, believe me, it's taking everything I got right now.

Speaker 2 The entire time, I just want to go, since you've been gone. Anyway, but, but, and I love, but what, what was that process for you? How did that come about, American Idol? Like,

Speaker 2 you know, you, you saw an ad in a paper. It was on Craigslist.
Like, how did that go down?

Speaker 5 Oh, my God. Craigslist was not around.

Speaker 2 Was it not? 2001? Was it? 2001? 2001, too? Wait, let me see. Can I see if I can get this right? Yes.
Well, I'd rather have her answer it, but okay.

Speaker 5 No, but wait, I'm curious to know if you know it.

Speaker 1 A friend challenged you or like to go on. And if you went on and got on or won or something, you'd get her a car or something like that.

Speaker 5 Something like that. Yes.
Well, I literally, my place had burned down the croft apartments off of Melrose.

Speaker 5 And it literally,

Speaker 5 the day we moved in, we had moved from this other place. And the day we moved in, it burned down.
And

Speaker 5 I ended up having to sleep in my car for like three days. And I was like, okay, I can't, like,

Speaker 5 I can't sustain this.

Speaker 5 So I was, my plan was to go back home to Texas, make some more money, come out, because I don't know if y'all know, but it's expensive to live in Los Angeles, especially when broke with three jobs.

Speaker 5 And anyway, so I, on my way home,

Speaker 5 one of my friends, Jebby Jessica told me about this audition and on your way home from one of your jobs.

Speaker 2 Is that what it was?

Speaker 5 I know like on my way home from

Speaker 5 California to Texas.

Speaker 2 Texas. Okay, sorry.

Speaker 5 Yeah, it was like right after I, yeah. And so I got home and I didn't know what it was.
I didn't even know it was a TV show until like the third audition.

Speaker 5 Because you know, they entered, they have you go and they had us go in like these just random rooms, like in like foreign producers, and you don't know anybody.

Speaker 5 You don't know what they're doing nobody had heard of pop idol which there had been one season of pop idol in the uk yeah nobody knew that um

Speaker 5 and so i didn't know what it was and um anyway she i told uh after i made it through the the first like rounds or whatever i i told jebby i was like i'll buy because honestly i didn't think i'd win

Speaker 5 but i was like yeah i'll totally buy you a car if i win i won so i bought her the car that'd be amazing what'd you get her was it It was like her dream car.

Speaker 5 I think it was like a firebird or something. It was like over 20 years ago, but I think, I believe it was like a firebird or something.

Speaker 2 Yeah, it was like some area.

Speaker 5 Or not a firebird. No.

Speaker 1 It's like a Mustang.

Speaker 5 A Mustang. I don't remember what it was.
It was like a sports car, but it was like badass. But I wasn't, I'm not into it.

Speaker 3 Were you surprised that you won, or had you already experienced a pretty good level of success locally?

Speaker 5 No, I mean, I was surprised.

Speaker 5 I mean, yeah, I'd won like,

Speaker 5 I'd won like the Burlis and Talik Show.

Speaker 5 Like, you know, but like exactly prestigious.

Speaker 5 But, you know, when you're, you know, a kid, you do those kind of things. And I'd had like some success in the sense of like, you know, following through on some dreams that I had like locally.

Speaker 5 But like I, you know, when I was a kid, but no, I mean, I'd never won anything of like real importance or done anything. And I, I am like a wallflower generally.

Speaker 5 Like I don't, nobody even knows I'm in the room generally. So I did not think I was going to win that.

Speaker 2 What was the process? So from the first audition, so you heard about this audition where they were going to have, you didn't know it was a show.

Speaker 2 It was just they were looking for singers is what you heard. Is that right? Yeah.
And so they go. So you go into,

Speaker 2 you audition in Texas

Speaker 2 and you go to the first audition

Speaker 2 from

Speaker 2 the first audition to winning. How long was that process?

Speaker 2 Oh, like

Speaker 5 within like a year. Like it was months because it was the first season and they were still putting it all together.

Speaker 5 And it was an English-based English-based company So people were coming in and out are you singing the same song in every uh every stage every audition they they'd like you to there.

Speaker 5 They did they asked us to I was about to sing I'd said yes to singing at someone's wedding and I was singing it last they wanted me to sing it last and so I think I sang it last

Speaker 5 for the first three and then I they showed this on YouTube I think or released it sometime But then they asked me to sing something faster and I was like

Speaker 5 sing anything but the Moulin Rouge song because everyone was singing itchy, getchy, ya, ya, da, da, ya.

Speaker 5 I was like, I was like, I literally, in that moment, I was like, anything will do but that song because everyone was singing it.

Speaker 5 So I went into some Madonna song, which was random because normally I don't generally sing Madonna, but.

Speaker 2 So, so, so within a year, you go from driving home so you can make more money so you don't have to live in your car to being an international superstar.

Speaker 2 And that, that kind of whiplash on your life forget professionally yeah yeah yeah the whiplash on you on you sort of um spiritually emotionally all that kind of stuff the weight of it the weight of it what and and some people might say oh poor kelly clarkson you became rich and famous in a year i'm one of those people too by the way yeah of course but but but it is that jane buffet that you were just quoting that was jane buffet that was my good friend jane buffet

Speaker 2 um no she never said that jane no but um that's just a great jane accent the great i know she's the best was

Speaker 2 what was that like, Kelly, for you, like sort of not the, not the day after you win, but in the sort of the time after as you, as your life just has a dramatic shift?

Speaker 2 What was that like for you as a person, as a human being walking this planet?

Speaker 5 Um, you know,

Speaker 5 really cool moments and then like a lot of not great ones. So I think

Speaker 5 I'm a very trusting person. Well, I think the scary part comes when it's more the human factor.
It's not the working. I've always had like three or four jobs at a time.
I've always enjoyed being busy.

Speaker 5 I like being productive.

Speaker 5 So, you know, that wasn't a, it wasn't so much the scheduling was intense, but it wasn't too much. It's the human factor.
It's the lying and it's the people, you know, just, it's like, what?

Speaker 2 What are we doing here?

Speaker 5 It's the lying. Like literally, it, and I,

Speaker 5 that really got me down. The human factor got me down.

Speaker 3 Yeah, there's, there was an article written in this old paper in LA. I don't even think they print it anymore called the LA Weekly.
This is like, I don't know, 30 years ago.

Speaker 3 That's like a cover story called The Fine Art of Lying and talking about the relevance and the necessity of it, specifically in the entertainment industry.

Speaker 3 I'm sure it's pervasive in other industries as well, but specifically that they cited all these examples. And it's really true.
I have become sort of immune or sort of numb to it. But

Speaker 3 if you really think about it, if you think about your conversations with your team, with the other people that you work with, there is a level of lying that I myself do as well, that you kind of have to do just to to protect the people's feelings that you love in this business because there's so much rejection.

Speaker 3 There's so much sort of, yeah, it's not a fit, blah, blah, blah, that you have to, if you're empathetic at all, reshape and sort of tell what are, I think, I like to think are white lies.

Speaker 2 Yeah, but I do have to get used to it. I don't know.
You do get used to it, but I don't think, I don't think that you are

Speaker 2 or numb to it. I mean, I know, for instance, what do you mean lies for lies about what?

Speaker 3 Well, lies about your,

Speaker 2 hey,

Speaker 2 oh,

Speaker 3 I saw your movie the other day. Oh, yeah, what'd you think? Now, if you didn't like it, but you're friends with that person.

Speaker 3 Now, obviously, this is not some big thing that I'm revealing, but there is sort of a

Speaker 3 I find

Speaker 3 that there is a lot of it that you need to do in this town if you care about the people that you're talking to because there's so much rejection

Speaker 3 and difference of opinion.

Speaker 2 Yeah. By the way, I,

Speaker 2 for what it's worth, I loved Goodnight Oscar. Oh, yes.
And me.

Speaker 2 I think I liked Oscar. I did love your lunch.
Sean, I thought you were so good, Sean. So I loved it.

Speaker 2 Good night, Oscar. What a tribute.

Speaker 3 And we will be right back.

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Speaker 3 All right, back to the show.

Speaker 2 But, Kelly, I was going to say, well, you know, you touched on something, which is,

Speaker 2 and kind of actually going on what Sean said, which is that you belong, there is that feeling of like

Speaker 2 you,

Speaker 2 I think a lot of Americans identified with you because you were the first person who kind of was plucked out of oblivion and became a superstar yeah and I guess that's what I'm wondering about is after that you are because people felt a certain sense of ownership and a proxy like the American dream yeah yeah so how hard is that

Speaker 5 that's not hard like that's not I mean I get that I've I don't know how but I I still like I can still like be objective and and go man that, you know, that, that's incredible that someone made it in that sense.

Speaker 5 Like, you know what I'm saying?

Speaker 5 That's like, you know, and it kind of, I think what it did, just for speaking to people and meet and greets and whatnot for years and years is it really gave people like a I don't know like a it kind of gave people that thing of like, no, really, you can't accomplish anything.

Speaker 5 Like your dreams, whatever it is, you could actually make this happen. Like this person was from nowhere, like a cocktail waitress, like, you know, nowhere near making it.

Speaker 3 And they actually film film that stuff, right? They like, they deliver your story to, much like they do in the Olympics. They deliver your story to, and then boom, they go live.

Speaker 3 Here's her, here's her singing on stage.

Speaker 5 Yeah, and I think people relate to that. I think people think, maybe I can still do that, or maybe, or that could be me.
I think that it has this sense of aspirational.

Speaker 2 Yeah, like vicarious. Yeah, well, Sean used to do a lot of meet and beats, right? Yeah, I used to be.
No, no, sorry. She said meet and greet, well.
Okay, sorry. Yeah.
Sorry.

Speaker 2 Sorry. Well, well done.

Speaker 5 Good for you, Sean.

Speaker 2 Thank you, Co. So, listen, do you remember?

Speaker 1 Do you remember when you first started

Speaker 1 immersing yourself into the world of Hollywood and Los Angeles and all that? Do you remember what was kind of foreign to you that you were like, oh, I didn't know you needed makeup every single time.

Speaker 2 Oh, I didn't know.

Speaker 5 Oh, I got in trouble on American Idol.

Speaker 5 They were like, so we're about to be on camera. And I was like, I know.
And they were like, but you're going to be on camera. And I was like, I know.

Speaker 5 And it was like, okay, well, do you want any like makeup or hair done? And I was like, no, I'm in a house right now. You're doing like behind the scenes.
Like, I was like, I'm not on stage.

Speaker 5 Like, I was like, I mean, I'll do it for stage. I was like, but why are we doing this?

Speaker 5 The one producer in particular, very high up, was not a fan of me just because I didn't play that game. And it wasn't even playing the game.
Like the other four girls that season were very into,

Speaker 5 you know, that stuff. they were very into it

Speaker 5 yeah yeah i was like the most amazing person to tour with for those girls because i was never in the makeup and hair chair like i was like i would they would have to beat force me to like sit there because i'm highly allergic um anything that gets near my eyes vegan whoever's brand that says whatever it still sucks for my eyes and um anyway so i don't i don't like wearing it i don't enjoy wearing it and so that was a big thing like you can't pry me out of the chair you know

Speaker 5 i need it i well and that's the thing Like, I adore the people I work with, even my makeup artists. I love her so much.

Speaker 5 I was laughing at Jason saying you often, like, stare directly in their eyes to make it. We have so many, like, inside.
It's such an intimate setting.

Speaker 5 Like, we're such close friends just because of that. Like, you know, but so I love, I love, you know, the art of it.
I love how creative people can be. It's just not my thing.

Speaker 2 Right. Right.
So then you, you, so you don't do it or you, you're sort of resistant to it for all the reasons you just outlined. Then you win American Idol.
Now you're a pop star.

Speaker 2 And now you've got to release record after record, which you do incredibly successfully. So just talk to us a little bit about that job.

Speaker 3 I'm singing in front of thousands of people.

Speaker 2 Exactly. I'm fascinated by all of a sudden now you're a megastar

Speaker 2 sort of overnight, not really. Now, of course, people don't realize that you've been working for years trying to do what you want to do.

Speaker 5 Yeah, but it is overnight.

Speaker 2 Okay.

Speaker 2 Okay. And then, and then, thank you for letting me off though.
And then you, and but then you, all of a sudden, it's like, okay, so you win, that's huge. And now you've got to record a record, right?

Speaker 5 you got to make it you go right into making a record is that how it went yeah and it it was bumpy from the beginning yeah just because nobody knew what to do with me because um i liked a lot of different genres of music and everybody kind of had a different plan and nobody knew that it would be successful in their defense you know they didn't you know they were like yeah this kid from this show like i understand that um and understood it then as well by the way um but it was it was a little bumpy and then they people don't know this but it wasn't clive right off the bat Like, I had another, there was another person running the label.

Speaker 2 Clive Davis.

Speaker 5 Yeah, it wasn't him running the label. I didn't make my first record with him.

Speaker 5 So anyway, it was just kind of rocky from the beginning. There was a changing of hands, like a baton passing with the label.
There's a lot going on. Nobody knew what to do.

Speaker 5 Like it was, it was a crazy, like I think people thought, oh, right off the bat, she like had all this money and doing it.

Speaker 5 No, everybody was plugging in our own gear at state fairs and cow shit and like doing state fair. Like we were, like, it wasn't right off the bat.

Speaker 2 Who was producing the record for you then at that point? Who are you? Like what was that process?

Speaker 5 I can't remember. I think it was Peterson.

Speaker 5 I can't remember his name. It was, but it was a long time ago.
But he was right in the beginning. He was very nice.
Like right in the beginning, I'd met him once.

Speaker 5 And really, it was just us in the studio and that they were kind of setting me up with different producers and different writers and stuff. And

Speaker 3 did you write these songs or were these songs that were written by, because

Speaker 3 a lot of artists, I've learned very late in life, some of them write their own music and they perform their music. And then others,

Speaker 3 no better, no worse, they take songs that are already written by somebody who doesn't know how to sing.

Speaker 1 Didn't you sing an Aber Levine song?

Speaker 5 Yeah, I've sang a Katie's song, Christina's song, Sia, Pink, Aber.

Speaker 5 I love writing, and I've been writing since my first album. I've always written on all my records, and I've also always just loved finding songs that I feel like I was intended to be the vessel for.

Speaker 5 Like, I love combo. I mean, I love interpretation.
So, I mean, obviously, even from the talk show, if we skip ahead, like I love taking a song and even even flipping it, like the production.

Speaker 5 I just, I love storytelling. I don't like acting in the way of storytelling.
I like watching it, but I like singing and acting in that sense and with storytelling. And

Speaker 5 that's always been like a love of mine. So I've done both since the very beginning.

Speaker 2 What about you?

Speaker 3 What about, sorry, Shawnee?

Speaker 3 Do you ever see a movie called Into the Woods?

Speaker 2 I'd love that movie.

Speaker 5 Yeah.

Speaker 5 Yeah. Merry Street, Emily Blunt, James Cook.

Speaker 3 Like,

Speaker 3 would you ever be excited if somebody brought you something like that where there's a little bit of acting, but a lot of singing as well, like singing, acting, also known as a musical movie.

Speaker 1 Go ahead, Jason.

Speaker 2 Oh, it's based on musical.

Speaker 5 You know, there's a whole genre.

Speaker 2 Right.

Speaker 2 It was a musical movie.

Speaker 3 A guy named Steven Sondheim, I hear, is really starting to take off.

Speaker 2 He's going to make him coming up. Jason, Jason, do some singing acting for us real quick.
I want to see some singing. Hello, I'm hungry.
Nice. Something like that.
You could think.

Speaker 2 Well, that's not acting because we know you're hungry. Yeah.

Speaker 5 I would maybe do something like that. But I think I'm like such a fan of what y'all can do.

Speaker 5 Like, I think it's interesting when actors, especially having this talk show, like I meet actors a lot and I never was around actors, only musicians generally. And

Speaker 5 we're always like looking at the other pasture. Like everybody's, it's always green.
You know, everybody's like, oh my God, I'm such a fan of what you do.

Speaker 5 It's so like what y'all do is incredible to me.

Speaker 5 The fact that you can run lines like that, do the same emotion over and over again, whatever it's serious or funny or whatever, and it's, and it doesn't wear you out or get monotonous is beyond to me.

Speaker 2 I feel the same way about musicians. I do.
I'm in awe of what you do, your ability to do it.

Speaker 5 No, but I find that that's the case, right?

Speaker 5 So, I, but I have such an appreciation for it, and I've never like when like I did know the winner of American Idol, we found out like around the top five that in that little fine print that we signed for the contract, um, the winner would have to do this movie.

Speaker 5 And I was, I literally have cried like so hard to get out of that.

Speaker 5 Like, cause I, I did not want to do it i did not think it was good neither did anyone else um and i did not want i did not want to act like that like that was not my that was not my goal did you did you have to yeah i bought i bought the first ticket i was very

Speaker 5 i i had to do it yeah and it's not like i was like trying to

Speaker 5 you know poo-poo on it or whatever it's just what it i was so worried because my goal was to sing and tour and do stuff like that and so i was so worried that it was going to ruin any chance of me being taken seriously as an artist.

Speaker 5 So I begged my label to at least let me put my single out. Like just let me get a single out.
Let me have a chance like before this comes out. And they did.

Speaker 5 So that, I think that's what saved me was that first single.

Speaker 3 What level of pride do you allow yourself to feel that you have taken in what, 20 years,

Speaker 3 a great step through a door that wasn't pried open for you by anybody else. I mean,

Speaker 3 you did that part too.

Speaker 3 But once you had that platform and all this capital, that you were able to build on it, diversify it, and parlay it into this massive, legitimate career such that some people would be really interested to hear that you got started on American Idol.

Speaker 3 It's much the same way, like, you know, there's all these people that started on Star Search. It's like, wait, what?

Speaker 2 Yeah, there are a lot of kids who bought your records who didn't watch you on Idol, right, Jay? Is that what you're getting at?

Speaker 2 Like, there are a lot of people who are fans of yours who don't know that.

Speaker 3 Yeah, exactly. And my question is, do you, have you, have you sort of just out of

Speaker 3 admirable humility,

Speaker 3 lost, are you, are you allowed to feel,

Speaker 3 do you allow yourself to feel the pride that I think you deserve that you've done so much with that moment that frankly some others have not from American Idol or any of the other shows?

Speaker 5 Yeah, I mean, I think for me,

Speaker 5 what I'm most proud of is even if there's, like, I've been told in this business, like, well, you're a sinking ship, you know, and I was like, okay, cool.

Speaker 5 But as long as I'm at the helm, I'm cool with that. Like, as long as somebody else isn't driving it, like, that's cool.

Speaker 5 Like, I think that's what I take pride in is like, look, I have, it hasn't been a perfect career.

Speaker 5 It's obviously been like this, but like it, it's been perfect for me in the sense of like every decision I've made and everything I've done, it's because I wanted to do it regardless of the outcome.

Speaker 5 And I think I'm proud of the fact that I don't let pride or ego or even shame, if that comes in, you know, at some point when something, you know, or any of that, I don't let that get in the way of it.

Speaker 1 So how did you, how did you learn that? Because you were, like you said, 19 and now you're 40, whatever. How did you learn how to weed out the good from the bad as you entered the business?

Speaker 5 Childhood trauma.

Speaker 5 I think, no, I honestly, that's why people always ask me about my kids and being in the business. I'm like, I mean, good for them if they want to do it.

Speaker 5 I just think because of how I was set up from a very young person and like, and hearing the things that happened or, you know, whatever my life did, you know, happened and then, and having to navigate that, I think definitely prepared me for the industry and prepared me for a spotlight to, to be okay to be me, like regardless if you're into it or not.

Speaker 5 Like that, everybody likes something different. Art is subjective.
But like, I think, I think that

Speaker 2 is...

Speaker 5 Fucked up as that sounds.

Speaker 5 I think a lot of like the traumatic things that happened to me when I was younger really not only built a thicker skin, but I think it also, when you, you know, let's say you hear from like someone that's supposed to love you the most, you know what I'm saying, in life and you're, and you're like, you didn't quite, that you weren't good enough.

Speaker 5 I think that when that happens, you're like, well, I'm never going to please anyone. So like, why even aim for it? I'm just going to have a good time.
Like, fuck it.

Speaker 5 I'm just going to like do what I love to do. Interesting.

Speaker 5 And because you know, when it, you know, when that person that, or people that are supposed to be there for you the most, like when that, when you get let down, and I know that sounds dark, but when that happens, I think in your head, you're like, okay, well, then maybe life isn't so about just aiming to please everyone or aiming to receive something.

Speaker 5 Maybe you just do it because you want to do it, and you never know how many trips around the sun you get. You might as well try whatever you want.

Speaker 1 Yeah, I think the same way.

Speaker 3 I mean, or maybe even said

Speaker 3 differently, if you agree, that

Speaker 3 it sets you up. The necessity becomes being self-sufficient.
If you can't rely on those closest to you at certain times,

Speaker 3 then you learn, well, then I just have to make myself happy.

Speaker 2 I've got

Speaker 2 survival.

Speaker 3 Yeah. And it's because I was going to say, and Sean beat me to the question, like, you are so clearly comfortable in your skin and,

Speaker 3 you know, shitty word. I don't have a better one, but you're just lovely.

Speaker 2 And, and, and like, well, I'm kidding. I'm kidding.

Speaker 3 But it's like, like, but like, who, I was going to ask you, who can you attribute that to? I mean,

Speaker 3 do you have...

Speaker 1 Yeah, like, because you didn't become a drug addict, you didn't become this or that.

Speaker 3 Yeah, did you have great parents or parent or uncle or something that really showed you kind of this North Star of like, well, wow, look at the adversity they've gone through and they're still able to be,

Speaker 3 you know, loving and giving and warm and open to the people they care about. And they're not walking around embittered and aggrieved.

Speaker 3 And like, it's just, you, you seem to really have taken whatever negatives you went through.

Speaker 3 And I'm not prying for those, but you seem to have turned them into a positive and that just taught you coping mechanisms that have yielded this nice balanced

Speaker 3 personality and vibe, it seems like, yeah?

Speaker 5 Yeah, I think for me,

Speaker 2 it's like one person.

Speaker 1 Thank you so much, Kelly.

Speaker 5 I think for me, it wasn't one person. I think

Speaker 5 it's a village, right? That raises any kid. Like, I don't think it's, you know, people are just like, oh, it's my mom or it's my dad or it's, you know, whatever.

Speaker 5 I think obviously that probably probably is true, but I also think we are raised by our surroundings, regardless, your teachers, your, you know, coaches and sports, like your, like, all your other friends' parents.

Speaker 5 Like, there's, and I think I, for some reason, I don't know why or how, but I, I don't know, I kind of navigated people in a sense of like, I'm going to take the, I love that part of you.

Speaker 5 Like, that's a really cool thing.

Speaker 5 Like, I, you know, I, I don't have a lot of positive experiences with this one person in my life that I won't mention, but the one thing I will say for them is they were always highly complimentary of people, even if it was fake or whatever for them.

Speaker 5 But like growing up, I saw how it made people feel.

Speaker 5 And I was like, oh, that's lovely, for lack of a better word. That's like to make someone feel.
And I, and I stole that, like for my person. And I was like, I was like, I like that.

Speaker 5 I like to make people feel like that. I like to compliment people.

Speaker 2 But you know what, Kelly, there's a real wisdom to that, which is, and Sean, you always say it takes a village people, but, but, you know, we, we, you, there, there's a wisdom to this idea that you whatever you put out in life is what you're going to get back right and so i believe that i i have no idea who you're talking about or what they're like as a person they might be a terrible person but at least in that aspect they were crazy and and if you yeah so if you you know sometimes uh that feeling of of loving somebody no matter what will increase the chances of you getting love back.

Speaker 2 And that feeling of hurt or whatever comes from a lack of actually putting love out. And I think that there's a balance there.
There's like a

Speaker 2 and when it comes to people too, you sort of start to identify.

Speaker 2 I know that as I get older, I identify the people in my life where I go, I make a conscious effort to surround myself and to spend time with people that I love and I know love me.

Speaker 2 And then my experience is better. These guys on this,

Speaker 2 you know,

Speaker 2 here with us today are two great examples. I probably don't spend more time with anybody than these two guys, you know, in my sort of, and because I love them and they love me.

Speaker 2 And so that's a positive experience. Exactly.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 We'll be right back.

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Speaker 1 And now back to the show.

Speaker 3 All right, let's get to the show.

Speaker 3 I would imagine, yeah, do you love it as much as you seem? I mean, it's like, it seems like

Speaker 3 it's a great for you. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2 Can we go back to, like, how did that happen? You're Kelly Clarkson.

Speaker 2 You have so many different phases to your life. You're Kelly Clarkson aspiring singer.
You're Kelly Clarkson rock star.

Speaker 1 Yeah, not since Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Speaker 2 Millions of albums. And then all of a sudden you're like, what? One day you wake up and you're like, man, you're looking out the window.
You're like, I'm going to have a talk show.

Speaker 5 No.

Speaker 5 No, that's, yeah, I, I said no the first two times. Like, so they, I was on the voice and I love NBC.
I have a really healthy relationship with them. Well, they don't lie, so I like that.

Speaker 5 I've tried to surround myself with people that are just, just feed it to me.

Speaker 5 But I, I had a really good experience on that show with that crew with those executives like and um

Speaker 5 they you know came to the studio I was doing something at the recording studio and they they came and they're like we really feel like you would be really good at this.

Speaker 5 And I was like, I really am not a journalist or a comedian and there's like no reason for me to be doing that. Like I just don't think that's a good plan, if I'm being frank.
And

Speaker 5 then I said no and then I said no again.

Speaker 5 And then all of a sudden it was just, you know, and it was actually my ex who, you know, we were just laying in bed and he was like, I really feel like you should just, you'd be really good at it because you're really good with people.

Speaker 5 Like you're, like, you're really good at talking. I don't think it's going to be like a job for you.
I was like, I think you just are really, you know, good at that. And,

Speaker 5 you know, why not just try it? And I was like, all right, whatever. So I was like, okay, cool, I'll try it.
And I will say, even from the,

Speaker 5 and I say this with all,

Speaker 5 without trying to sound any other kind of way, but like a lot of people will be like, oh, it's really hard. It's really not.
It's like the easiest job I've ever had.

Speaker 5 Like, I, I know that sounds like nobody wants to hear that.

Speaker 3 It's naturally charismatic and friendly and interested and curious. And it's like, you just, you've got people skills because you're not a dick.

Speaker 2 You know, I mean, like, well,

Speaker 5 thank you.

Speaker 5 But I, but I, I don't know. I just, it just is not, like, the hardest part of my talk show is just that I was like, hey, I have this idea.

Speaker 5 We can open with a song before and I could elevate, you know, other artists that I love or whatever and do covers and whatever. And that's the hardest thing.

Speaker 5 It's like 180 and it's always like trying to figure out, you know, clearing songs. Like that's the hardest part of the show is just getting that because there's no rehearsal time.

Speaker 5 It is literally like.

Speaker 5 Camp like, you know, when you're a kid and they're like, get on stage, improv it. Like, you know what I'm saying? It's like, it's like, it's, we literally don't rehearse it.
We just do it.

Speaker 5 You know, it's the craziest thing ever. So um, that part is like the hardest part.
The talking part is so easy.

Speaker 5 Well, except I know you've probably, well, maybe not because you're like super successful.

Speaker 5 So, but like, you know, like, have you ever interviewed someone and you're just like, okay, so that's that's yeah, like, but you gotta talk, you know, yeah, I'm like, you know, yes or no time.

Speaker 5 You sell your shit, right?

Speaker 2 You're not doing me a favor by sitting on the couch.

Speaker 5 That can be hard sometimes. I'm like,

Speaker 5 wow, do say more.

Speaker 5 But that, that can be tough.

Speaker 5 But for the most part, I'm pretty good with people. So it's really like the easiest.
Like, I can't even believe we're in season five right now. It feels like not that long.

Speaker 2 So amazing.

Speaker 5 Yeah, but it is just a fun job.

Speaker 5 And honestly, the support of, because I literally told the NBC, I was like, I don't, I'm not trying to slap a gift horse in the face, mouth, whatever you say, whatever the saying is.

Speaker 5 I was like, I'm just.

Speaker 5 I'm not happy here. I can't continue doing this.

Speaker 5 And I don't want to like, I know everybody's put a lot of money and time and we're winning and we're doing well I was like but I can't continue this I got to get out of here and so they were really cool about moving the show over that's really great which is huge by the way 30 rock yeah

Speaker 2 look a gift horse in the house in the mouth do you know what that expression do you know what it comes from i do

Speaker 2 do you

Speaker 3 Yeah, if somebody, yeah, it goes back to somebody you give somebody a horse and you look in the teeth and if the teeth are bad then you say no thanks to see how old you can see how old a horse is and the health the overall health of a horse.

Speaker 2 And so if somebody gives you one and you go, yeah, I'll take the gift, but hang on, let me look inside. And then you're going to be.
Yes, you're looking at the

Speaker 2 it's rude.

Speaker 2 So, yeah, so

Speaker 2 I don't know that Jason would know that. I love you, Jason.

Speaker 3 I'm sneaky smart.

Speaker 2 I know you are sneaky smart. You're not sneaky smart.
You're plain smart. Hey, so you, Kelly, you're now at 30 Rock,

Speaker 2 which is must feel like

Speaker 2 I mean, because it's also feels.

Speaker 5 Well, you know what's so funny is

Speaker 5 I've been going there so much for over 20 years that like for promotion stuff and just in and out of the building that I, it oddly felt very normal right off the bat.

Speaker 5 Like, yeah, I mean, you walk around like,

Speaker 5 for some reason, my key like never works. They just don't want to let me in the building.

Speaker 5 And I always have to go to this one area and get another one. And when you go there, There's all these images that kind of change of all the things that have happened historically in that building.

Speaker 5 And it's so cool. Like, it's, I mean, I get the gift of it and I'm very, you know, grateful for it, but it feels really normal.
Like, like we've been there the whole time.

Speaker 2 What floor are you on? Are you on six?

Speaker 5 I'm right across from, yeah, right across from Jimmy.

Speaker 2 You are? Literally. Okay.

Speaker 1 Jimmy Fallon. Yeah.

Speaker 2 From Jimmy. Oh, sorry.
Go ahead, Trump.

Speaker 1 For Tracy, Jimmy Fallon.

Speaker 2 Jimmy Fallon.

Speaker 3 I'm so jealous. It's such a dream of mine to live in New York, work at 30 Rock on something that is everyday.
Like, I swear to God, I've been, I've wanted that since I was, you know,

Speaker 3 a young kid, like going to New York for work and going to 30 Rock. I just think that building is incredible.

Speaker 3 The whole area around it, even like the ice, all the closed off streets.

Speaker 5 It's the basement level of all the things happening that I never knew the city underneath. I was like, what?

Speaker 2 Jason, are you crying right now? I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 By the way, I'm going to help you out.

Speaker 5 Sorry, go ahead, Kelly. I was going to.
Oh, no, I was going to say, I will say it's, it's how you're describing it. It is movie-like.

Speaker 5 Like, I walk home every day from work and it's the coolest thing ever. You put your headphones in.
I'm usually learning the,

Speaker 5 listening to what I'm supposed to be seeing the next day. But like, you know, you, you walk home, you go out of the building, this historical,

Speaker 5 cool building, the city, everybody's got their own vibe going on. Everybody's got their own lives.

Speaker 2 Everybody's doing their own thing.

Speaker 5 You put different industries, not just the one like in LA. And

Speaker 5 then, and you, um, you put your headphones in, you walk home, and it's like a, you know, 35-minute walk home. And so it's nice.
It's lovely.

Speaker 5 And you're walking through the park and you're, it's, it's really, it's like, I don't know, the older we get, I sound like an old person, but the older you get, those moments really matter.

Speaker 5 Like those, those moments.

Speaker 2 Of course, it's experiential. Jay, we were talking on the phone this morning about it.
It's like, how do you want your experience to be? Like you can have X, Y, and Z, but the.

Speaker 2 But you have to go through the process of doing it and you have to do it on a day-to-day basis. So what do you want that to be? What do you want your life experience to be? And I know what you mean.

Speaker 2 I mean, I you know, lived in New York for over 20 years, and I keep threatening that once my older kids graduate high school, I'm going to move back. And I think that's what I will do

Speaker 2 because of that very thing you talked about, whether it's walking to the park, walking to think, whatever. I mean, that kind of stuff.

Speaker 5 It's very inspirational.

Speaker 2 Yeah, it fills you up, right? Like it fills your

Speaker 2 soul,

Speaker 2 if you will.

Speaker 5 And it sounds like cheesy, but like,

Speaker 5 or very celebrity, but like I, at the risk of this, I, I have to be, I think because I'm from the countryside, I have to be like, like that park saves me.

Speaker 2 It's right there.

Speaker 5 It saves me every day. Like, I, I don't think I could live in the concrete jungle without that park.
Like, I

Speaker 5 literally read a whole book on Frederick Law Olmsted, who created it.

Speaker 5 Like, I'm very into like landscaping and very into like just making sure we have, we don't forget like what that feels like to go outside and see trees and flowers. And

Speaker 2 When I was doing the play last summer, I would walk, sometimes I'd walk from your front door to the escalade. Yeah,

Speaker 2 I was exhausted.

Speaker 2 I was exhausted. Jason, can we just

Speaker 2 make an announcement right now, Jay? Can we, this is that. Will and I are pregnant.
Will and I are pregnant.

Speaker 2 Congratulations. Thanks, guys.
The NBC, Jason Bateman, is open to your offer of working for you at 30 Rock on a daily basis. We need like an editorial.

Speaker 3 Come to him. Sort of.

Speaker 2 Call Aline and Kashisha.

Speaker 5 Would y'all ever, would you, this is a real question.

Speaker 5 Would you, because I'm not bullshitting you, I really do listen. I was, even with my sister and I, we're listening to like two in the morning last night.
I think the Kevin Hart one and Anna Stone.

Speaker 5 We were listening to a bunch of them. Anyway, and would you ever, because I noticed with the Kevin Hart one, you're in front of an audience and then y'all toured it as well.

Speaker 5 So would you ever do it as like a, like a,

Speaker 5 like a

Speaker 5 talk show, like a TV show?

Speaker 3 I've, I've thought about it, but I think it would be more full-time than I think the three of of us are willing to. Yeah, like right now, it's just, you know, it's an hour a week and it's,

Speaker 3 we're flexible with it. We're mobile with it.

Speaker 3 But yeah, if it was a structured studio and stuff, it would mean stopping some of the other things we're

Speaker 3 enjoying doing in addition to this right now.

Speaker 2 But perfectly. And anybody who would want to have us on their platform to do that would have to make an offer to Aline Kashyard.

Speaker 3 Will has a number.

Speaker 2 And let's hear what it is.

Speaker 5 But I do think that you can make that whatever you want because

Speaker 5 I didn't know what a talk show was. Like, I didn't really know, like, I didn't know this world.
I'm, I'm an artist. I'm never even awake for daytime television.

Speaker 5 Like, I'm like, so like, I'm, this is not really generally my world. So, um, you know, I think you had so much success with it.
And obviously, just in your careers separately.

Speaker 5 Um, but I think, I think that's the cool thing about it is that you wouldn't have to commit to more than what you wanted to commit to. You're at that level to where maybe you do it in a different way.

Speaker 5 Like, you know, I don't, I don't know. I just think, I think what you're doing, this is incredible.
I just, it's just, I also understand like that is pretty cool to,

Speaker 5 because I,

Speaker 5 you do give up,

Speaker 5 something has to give. Like, even with my music career, I'm not able to do everything because I'm doing the talk show.

Speaker 3 But there's also a plus in that for me, that's why it's so tempting. Like, I love routine.
I would love to have, you know,

Speaker 3 that stage across from Jimmy's. And you have the pattern that you walk home every day from through the park.

Speaker 5 Like, I love that. I love a routine.
I flourish in a routine.

Speaker 2 But also, also having that, as you know, because of what we do, sometimes you have like a million things happening at once. And again,

Speaker 2 not a complaint. Like

Speaker 2 you have the

Speaker 2 privilege of having a million things. But when you get to work on one thing all the time, and

Speaker 2 you can't, you're like, sorry, I can't. I'm just doing this thing.
And there's something really satisfying about that. Having those moments, Sean, you did it for years on Will and Grace.

Speaker 1 Yeah, it was nice.

Speaker 2 You know, where you're like, I'm just doing this right now, and I don't have the time to be spread thin

Speaker 2 because I'm just doing this.

Speaker 5 I know that you've answered this question probably a billion times.

Speaker 2 I've never heard the answer to why I'm going to be the tool.

Speaker 5 I am a tourist as well.

Speaker 5 But no, why? Because you are, you all have such amazing careers separate from one another, such different careers as well, obviously actors, but just different. And

Speaker 5 what made you all three do this? Like, whose idea was this?

Speaker 3 Will's originally, and then Sean and i kind of snored in on it and changed what will's concept and premise was going to be yeah and then it just became uh well let's just kind of hang out and chit-chat during covid because we can't see each other we had no idea we didn't know the answer to that sorry you've probably answered it a billion times no no it's not that it's not particularly interesting we literally were like oh let's just do it and then we and then the week

Speaker 2 The world shut down on the Friday of March 13th of 2020, and we had a meeting on the Tuesday before, like four days before or three days before.

Speaker 3 Yeah, Sean's, uh, Sean's real smart dude, Michael Granteri,

Speaker 3 put some form to it and presented to us, well, guys, just so you know, this is what it could be.

Speaker 3 And this is what it's not, you know, like, so don't think it's, you know, going to be a big, huge time suck. And there's some work here, but he just basically put it in adult terms.

Speaker 2 And we paid for it. Like, we, we put it up on its feet on our own.
I mean, it wasn't a lot, but we did that.

Speaker 5 And that's how it's going to be. I think that that's why, though, because it was so organic.

Speaker 5 I think, you know, a lot of horrible things happened because of COVID, but a lot of really incredible things happened out of COVID.

Speaker 1 Well, it was just an excuse to see each other, you know? Yeah.

Speaker 2 Well, it became like this really great, you know, we, a lot of feedback we got, especially at that time from people was like, hey, it was great to be able to listen during COVID.

Speaker 2 And truthfully, it was selfishly, it was great for us to be able to do it during COVID.

Speaker 5 Oh, it was selfishly. It was good for me to work through that.

Speaker 5 I worked my whole TV show the whole time.

Speaker 2 Right. And being able to

Speaker 5 snow.

Speaker 3 And being able to call people in that you're really interested to talk to kind of unapologetically. You're not like tapping them on the shoulder like, excuse me, Mrs.

Speaker 3 such and such, I'd love to ask you a question. Well, no, we have a format for that with this.
And it's such a luxury to be able to talk to these heroes that we have.

Speaker 3 I'm sure you feel the same way on your show. Yeah, I do.

Speaker 3 You just say to your to your gang, your producers, like, hey, would you reach out to such and such, see if they'd be interested to coming on the show?

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 5 No, I'm telling that, just having me with Cher. I was like, and Atlantis was on this season, like a lot of people that I adore.

Speaker 5 They're always going to be

Speaker 5 more the musical ones that come on just because I have a little bit more

Speaker 5 depth with them as far as their career and catalog and stuff. But

Speaker 5 yeah,

Speaker 5 I feel the same way. It's the coolest thing to like be able to just sit and chat with your people that you look up to.

Speaker 2 Well,

Speaker 2 you're killing it. You really are.
You've killed it and everything you've done.

Speaker 2 You're such a

Speaker 2 sort of real animal.

Speaker 3 You could say lovely.

Speaker 2 Yeah, lovely. Lovely person.
Lovely.

Speaker 1 I could hear you talk all day long. I I could hear you sing all day long.

Speaker 2 I agree. I love it.
Yeah.

Speaker 5 You're nice. I don't leave voicemails because of my talking voice.

Speaker 2 I just want to belt out all your songs to you because I just love belting out your songs.

Speaker 2 It's just so good.

Speaker 2 We have taken up way too much of your time. God, you're busy.

Speaker 2 Get back to your incredibly successful talk show. We wish you nothing but the best.
Thank you for being here and blessing us with you. And thank you for your talent and everything you've done.

Speaker 1 And just continue success.

Speaker 5 Yeah, you're awesome. No, thank you guys for having me.
I know I've listened to the show. So I'm like to be in a the same category as a lot of the people that you interview is very cool.

Speaker 2 So thank you very much for having me. You're just

Speaker 5 and you make like honestly just like cutting through the bullshit and just being through yourself, it's so refreshing to listen to and it's fun and it's I don't, you know, how y'all were saying people look at me.

Speaker 5 I look at y'all the same way. So I think it's very refreshing for people.

Speaker 2 It's nice for people to see this version of Sean for sure. Yeah.

Speaker 2 I love Sean. I love Kelly.

Speaker 2 You made this real easy. Thank you, Kelly.
Yeah, Kelly, thank you. So much success.
Congratulations, and wish you nothing but the best.

Speaker 5 Yes. No, y'all have a good 2024, y'all.

Speaker 2 You too. You too.
See you later. Bye, Kelly.

Speaker 3 What a terrible guest, Will. You know, somebody that just doesn't know how to,

Speaker 3 you know, be friendly or respond to questions.

Speaker 2 I know. She's so.

Speaker 2 I love this, Sean. You started in the right way, which is, you put it in such a great way, which is like, yeah, she feels very much like

Speaker 2 ours. Like ours.
Yeah. Yeah.
And she is the American idol. Yeah, she's American.

Speaker 1 She represents all sides of America. I think.

Speaker 3 I honestly felt like I could fire up a friendship with her tomorrow that would last. 40 years.

Speaker 2 Well, when you're doing your talk show across the hall from her, Jason. Yeah, let's do that.

Speaker 3 Or maybe combined with her.

Speaker 3 amazing Kelly and Jason is from

Speaker 2 Jason DeKelly? From Jason De Kelly, that was the name of her movie. That's right, from Justin Dellie.
From Justin DeKelle, that's the same movie. Yeah, that's not the piano.

Speaker 2 They call me Justin all the time. Oh, they do call me all the Justin.
It's going to be from Justin DeKelly. Oh, my God, we can do it.
The posters already exist. We already have all the outdoor ads.

Speaker 1 But isn't it amazing we know all of her songs? Like, it's so rare. Like, everybody knows all her songs.

Speaker 2 I know.

Speaker 3 What's that song that goes

Speaker 3 by, bye, Black Sheep?

Speaker 2 Blackbird? Yeah.

Speaker 2 Fuck, man. Jason, get out of here.
Fuck, that was so fucking sweaty.

Speaker 2 Lather up or both.

Speaker 1 You're thinking about that in sync song.

Speaker 3 Yo, how's it going?

Speaker 2 Bye, bye, bye. Bye, bye, bye, bye, bye.

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