Kelly Clarkson Reveals The Sweet Way She And Taylor Swift Have Bonded, And I Had No Idea

From left to right: screenshots of Taylor Swift smiling on The Tonight Show and Kelly Clarkson smiling on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
(Image credit: NBC)

As Taylor Swift drops album after album, specifically the re-recordings, she always shows love for her fellow artists. By featuring them on her projects and sending them sweet packages, it’s clear that the pop star has a lot of love for her fellow musicians. However, one artist she shares a super sweet bond with is Kelly Clarkson, and I had no idea. 

During a SiriusXM event, E! News asked Kelly Clarkson about Taylor Swift, noting that the “Since U Been Gone” singer was one of the first people to put it out there that the “Anti-Hero” singer should re-record her music. Now, Swift sends Clarkson flowers after every one of her re-recordings, including 1989 (Taylor’s Version), the talk show host explained: 

You know what’s so funny? She just sent me flowers. She’s so nice. She was like ‘Every time I release something,’ because she just did 1989. I got that really cute cardigan too.

While it’s likely the two pop stars knew each other before Swift started her re-recordings, this passion they both have for protecting their art seems to be what really brought them together. Back in 2019, when Swift spoke out about the sale of her master recordings for her first six albums, Clarkson came to her defense, and she had a suggestion. She posted on X:

Not long after that, Swift began re-recording her music. While we don’t know if Clarkson’s tweet directly influenced her, clearly the Lover artist appreciates the support, because she’s been showing her love for the Chemistry artist with the re-release of every album. Continuing to gush about her love for the Eras Tour frontwoman, Clarkson said:

I love how kind she is though. She’s a very smart businesswoman, so she would have thought of that. But, you know, it just sucks when you see artists that you admire and respect really wanting something, it’s special to them, and just giving them another, you know, if they’re going to find a loophole, you find a loophole. And she did it, and literally is like the best-selling artist, I feel like, of all time.

Game respects game, and I love Clarkson and Swift for that. Both women have kind of grown up in the spotlight, so it makes sense that they are very supportive of each other. While it’s widely known that Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez are besties, the singer is also openly supportive and friendly with many other artists. This includes Clarkson, and others, like Maren Morris, who recently spoke very highly about working with the singer on Red (Taylor’s Version) and how Swift has supported her on The Tonight Show

Continuing to gush about her love for Taylor Swift and her impact on the industry, Clarkson said:

And it’s so cool to see a fan base really get behind her in that too, because it’s important. She’s known for being such an incredible songwriter, and the soundtrack to a lot of people’s lives, and that’s her life. So, you should have the option of owning that.

All this comes after Clarkson clarified her comments about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship. She had mentioned that she wanted to keep pop news and football separate, and then reiterated that she was totally supportive of the duo, she simply wanted to watch football. That seemingly didn’t impact her real-life relationship with Swift, because when 1989 (Taylor’s Version) came out, the “Stronger” singer received her flowers and a lovely cardigan. Proving that these two have the sweetest bond.  

Now, the question becomes, will Kelly Clarkson get flowers and maybe a black cardigan when Reputation (Taylor’s Version) comes out? My guess, is she absolutely will. Hopefully, we’ll also get to hear more about this sweet friendship these two share, and maybe, if dreams do come true, they’ll collaborate someday.

While that’s a far-off dream, what is reality is their adorable support of one another, and their projects that are available to now. To see what Kelly Clarkson is up to, you can watch The Kelly Clarkson Show every weekday on the 2023 TV schedule. As for Taylor Swift, she just released 1989 (Taylor’s Version), and the global leg of her Eras Tour has officially begun.   

Riley Utley
Weekend Editor

Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.