Kelly Clarkson Got Real About What Really Happened After She Won “American Idol,” And It’s Kind Of Shocking

Of course, you know Kelly Clarkson won the first season of American Idol back in 2002 — but did you know that she allegedly never received the prizes she was promised from the show itself?

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“So you’re $220,800 richer now?” Kelly asked, to which Rob replied, “Well, they still haven’t paid me.” It was this very response that took Kelly down memory lane.

The Kelly Clarkson Show

“You know what? I relate to this so hardcore,” Kelly said. “I literally was on the show, and they were like, ‘Oh, you win a million dollars’ or whatever. No, you didn’t. It was, like, a million dollars worth of investment in you.”

“And then they said you get a car, and I needed it ‘cause my car was bashed in, and I couldn’t afford the deductible,” she continued, before exclaiming, “No! I did not get a car!”

But, wait, there’s more: Kelly also alleged that, during the following season of American Idol, Clay Aiken — who came in second place, mind you — was actually awarded a car. As was his mom!

“I was like, ‘What the fuck?’” she recalled. “I remember Clay telling me that the second season. He’s like, ‘Yeah, they gave my mom one.’ I was like, ‘I’m gonna actually kick your ass right now.’”

At this point, Daniel Radcliffe — who, perhaps I forgot to mention, was also on the Kelly Couch during this interview — chimed in with some helpful advice: “There should be some system where if you win something on the first season of something, whatever the prize has become, you should retroactively get that,” he said.

“No, it was supposed to be the prize then, okay? It was supposed to be the prize then,” she said, before offering advice of her own to Rob regarding his own winnings: “That’s why I’m saying, you might not see it. You might not see it. But, you know, I hope you got enough TV time.”

There you have it. Reality TV, folks — it (allegedly) doesn’t always pay!