Kelly Clarkson is set to be a coach on Season 13 of NBC’s “The Voice” and not Season 16 of now-ABC property “American Idol.” So why did the first ever American Idol snub the former Fox series that made her famous?
It’s all about “those blinds,” she said, referring to the backs-turned audition process on “The Voice.” Clarkson compared those with the days of her opera-singing competitions, when all of the contestants performed behind screens.
“It was all based on talent and merit,” she remembered at Tuesday’s Television Critics Association press tour.
Plus, there’s just something about being a “coach” — “The Voice’s” verbiage — and not a “judge,” which is what “American Idol” calls its panelists.
“I get to be a part of their team and not just judge them and say stuff — I get to actually be involved with them and cultivate their career and where they want to go, and help them navigate this competition,” Clarkson said of the stable of talent she’s current mentoring. “And I think that’s my favorite part … that I get to be a coach.”
“I’ve been asked to be a judge on things and I don’t want to be a judge,” she continued. “I’m not really good at that, I always feel sh—y afterwards, if you have to say something to somebody and they don’t receive it well. So, I really enjoy the coaching aspects.”
Yes, she said all of that without mentioning “Idol” by name. Clarkson also dodged a direct question on whether or not she was asked to return to the Ryan Seacrest-hosted series for its ABC reboot.
“A lot of people reach out to me for singing things,” she said.
So that settles that.