The singer found fame after winning American Idol, Where do the years go? Ryan Seacrest celebrated his friendship with Kelly Clarkson on Instagram on Friday with a throwback fans couldn’t get over.
The American Idol host has known the singer since she won the singing competition in 2002, and they’ve remained close; working together on many occasions since.
Ryan and Kelly recreated a famous photo from her winning moment on Idol and he posted it on Instagram, captioning it: “Highlights of our careers (pun intended). Anyone know what moment this was exactly? #throwbackMake sure to tune in to the @kellyclarksonshow today!”
The two decade old image showed both Kelly and Ryan rocking some serious highlights in their hair and, not surprisingly, looking different than they do today.
Fans commented: “But can we talk about that hair, Ryan?” and, “Classic & iconic. I love how y’all are still besties post idol. Kelly is so cool,” while another added: “Cuties. Love the highlights of so long ago!!!”
Many were delighted that the pair had remained so close over the years. Kelly recently celebrated some exciting news concerning The Kelly Clarkson Show as it picked up 11 nominations for the Daytime Emmy Awards – including two main nominations for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series and Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host for the 41-year-old singer, her fourth in a row since the NBC show’s 2019 premiere.
Where it really shone, however, was the Creative Arts and Lifestyle categories, picking up nine nods, the most this year, including camera editing, hairstyling & makeup, and direction.
Over its previous three seasons, the show has emerged as quite a juggernaut, winning 13 Daytime Emmys, with Kelly triumphing in her category three years in a row.
Kelly couldn’t contain her excitement in a video posted to her show’s Instagram, shouting out each member in her team while at a taping for the show. “We got nominated 11 times!” she enthused. “Everyone is so fun! Thank you so much for the nomination.”
She then proceeded to cheer on each individual nominee as all of their recognitions were read out with applause in the background from her studio audience and team.
Kelly also had reason to celebrate in her personal life. She turned 41 on April 24 and in true Kelly style, rang it in with a special episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, titled “The Gift of Music”.
Talking to her audience, she said: “It’s my birthday y’all. I am very excited and we’re celebrating with one of the greatest gifts in my life, and that is the gift of music.”
She is also finally making her long-awaited return to the industry with the upcoming release of her latest album, Chemistry, out June 23. Kelly announced the album – her tenth and first since 2017’s Meaning of Life – back in March, saying of the its name: “I was trying to find a word, it might be one of the songs on the album, but I was trying to find a word that really described the whole thing.
“I didn’t want everybody to think I was just coming out with some ‘I’m angry,’ ‘I’m sad’ – just one or two emotions. This album is definitely the arc of an entire relationship.”See more photos of Kelly through the years and with her family below