Two decades after the night that changed American Idol forever, Kelly Clarkson, who won the very first season in 2002 with nearly 58 percent of the public vote against Justin Guarini, was recently seen revisiting a moment from her historic victory. After so many years, the successful singer appeared to scoop out memories, revealing with a humorous twist that she is still waiting for her American Idol prize nearly 25 years later.

In a recent episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show aired on March 10, 2026, Clarkson, while speaking with The Traitors star Rob Rausch, said she could relate to his situation after the reality star revealed he had still not received his $220,800 prize pot despite winning Season 4. Clarkson then added that she never actually received the $1 million prize check or the car promised after winning the first season in 2002.

"I literally was on the show, and they were like, 'Oh, you win a million dollars or whatever.' No, you didn't. They lied," Clarkson said to Rob Rausch and fellow guest Daniel Radcliffe.

Further, pulling the curtain on the reality, she added that instead of receiving a direct $1 million check, the series had described the prize as a $1 million investment in her.

With her winning performances of 'Respect' and her coronation single 'A Moment Like This', which later soared to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, Clarkson, now 43, was just 20 years old when she stepped onto the stage of the inaugural season of American Idol in 2002, performing before judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson.

Now, years after her Idol victory, Clarkson continues to revisit such candid moments on her daytime program, The Kelly Clarkson Show, often revealing behind-the-scenes memories.

What is The Kelly Clarkson Show about?

With over 1,100 episodes aired so far, the daytime talk and variety program The Kelly Clarkson Show, hosted by Clarkson, first premiered on September 9, 2019. Since then, the show has welcomed a wide range of celebrity guests, including Emily Blunt, Dwayne Johnson, and Reese Witherspoon, with recent episodes also highlighting moments like the reunion tease involving Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell for Scream 7.

The show has also built a strong audience over the years, averaging around 1.13 million viewers per episode in syndication. It has earned more than 20 Daytime Emmy Awards, with Clarkson herself winning multiple Emmys for Outstanding Talk Show Host. The early seasons filmed at Universal Studios Hollywood, while from Season 5 onward, the show moved production to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, home to NBC Studios.

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Written by

Lisa Roy

Edited by

Itti Mahajan