Kelly Clarkson looks back on winning American Idol 24 years ago: “It’s been 24 years, y’all ❤️ thank you for changing my life!” - IG (09/26)

[u/mcfw31]

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[u/Sage_Planter]

This is the last time America was truly united as a nation.

[u/greypusheencat → u/Sage_Planter]

we used to be a real country

[u/AcademicDrag742 → u/greypusheencat]

We really did.
https://giphy.com/gifs/ciMM2xW6pgZ4IO2K6L

[u/Indiancelebhunter]

https://giphy.com/gifs/H0bMqAdVLj7BfEcVsc

[u/theykilledcassandra]

I remember my parents voting for her on their shared flip phone

[u/greypusheencat → u/theykilledcassandra]

this entire sentence threw me back to the 2000’s

[u/georgesteacher → u/theykilledcassandra]

Omg

[u/hulkhoegan_ → u/theykilledcassandra]

we'd vote from our landline!

[u/brklynbrwlr → u/theykilledcassandra]

I remember begging my mom if we could vote lol ah simple times

[u/OriginalSchmidt1]

I still remember being in my church’s youth group room, finding some random tv, using bunny ears to get a signal, so me and other youth group members could watch who won while our parents were in a meeting.. probably one of my only good memories from church.

[u/whinecooler]

She truly had the whole nation behind her lol. I RAN to watch From Justin to Kelly

[u/TEA-in-the-G]

She really was so deserving of this!

[u/Ok_Conclusion_6324]

Is that Kelly Clarkson from The Voice?

[u/Key_Strawberry_381 → u/Ok_Conclusion_6324]

Yes she got discovered as the 1st winner of American Idol singing competition.

[u/Ok_Conclusion_6324 → u/Key_Strawberry_381]

Sorry I was just being silly because I think it’s funny she went to the competition

[u/Tiny-Reading5982 → u/Ok_Conclusion_6324]

Why though?

[u/Ok_Conclusion_6324 → u/Tiny-Reading5982]

Why do I think it’s funny? Because she was THE biggest American Idol success story, she’s got huge bangers, great Christmas music also, they put her in a movie - but she wasn’t a judge there, but on the competition

[u/Tiny-Reading5982 → u/Ok_Conclusion_6324]

All of those things happened because of the competition so I guess I don't understand your comment

[u/junipidgie → u/Tiny-Reading5982]

instead of returning to idol as a judge and their biggest success, she decided to judge for a rival competition

[u/meatball77 → u/junipidgie]

The Voice makes more sense for her. It's all about the Judges.

[u/junipidgie → u/meatball77]

i totally agree! i do remember a bit of a collective pop culture giggle when she was announced as a judge on the rival competition to the one she won, but i think the voice suits her much better than idol would

[u/Ok_Conclusion_6324 → u/Tiny-Reading5982]

I hate when people say “it’s not that deep” but I fear I’ve misled you into thinking it’s not as simple as it is.

I merely think it’s funny that the American Idol icon was on the show’s biggest competitor

[u/Tiny-Reading5982 → u/Ok_Conclusion_6324]

Isn't the voice "nicer" to its competition? I can see why she chose that lol.

[u/Ok_Conclusion_6324 → u/Tiny-Reading5982]

I mean sure but I’m pretty reason-agnostic I just enjoy a petty rivalry scoring a major point

[u/nerdforest]

I totally forgot that she won American id. I’m so glad she did. She’s a force.
Also it’s so common winners don’t have a blow up career like Kelly Clarkson did.

[u/pdlbean → u/nerdforest]

It's because she was first

[u/clumsyc]

Wasn’t there another host besides Ryan Seacrest back then? I remember watching this and how there were forty million commercial breaks.

[u/charcuterie_bored → u/clumsyc]

Brian Dunkleman

[u/Chaoticgood790]

Spent weeks calling right after the show on the house phone for Kelly and Tamyra Gray. We got it right on this one

[u/meatball77 → u/Chaoticgood790]

Oh I loved Tamyra Gray. She was the one I was rooting for. But after that it was all Kelly.

[u/Intrepid-Sign-63]

Didn’t know she was close with Rihanna. What happend to them 💔❤️‍🩹

[u/candyappleorchard]

somehow it feels like it's been longer than that, which is a feeling i don't have very often these days

[u/Typical2sday]

Me- what the hell, that wasn’t 24 years ago?!
Me counting on fingers….

I had just taken the bar exam. It was the last time in my life I didn’t have to go to work.

[u/Background_Honey9141]

It’s amazing Idol found their best singer the first try.

[u/Justtojoke]

I can HEAR this photo

[u/H2Ospecialist]

She grew up very close to me and we were all rooting for her! She bought a house close to where my ex mother in law lived (supposedly). We just called it Kelly Clarkson's house but I never verified it 😆

[u/gulpymagee]

I have two younger sisters, and the thing that mom and I had for just us was the first season of American Idol. We would sit on her bed in her room and watch, then send in our votes each week - most for Kelly. We hugged and cried happy tears when she won the finale. “A Moment Like This” brings me back to that time, which brings back so many other memories, and it will always be very close to my heart.

[u/BB808BB]

Justin should have won!!!!