Kelly Clarkson Clarifies Her Name Change: ‘I’m Still Kelly Clarkson’
Kelly Clarkson is fully aware that she's too far into the game to be known as anything other than, well, Kelly Clarkson. At the red carpet premiere of her new show American Song Contest on NBC, the songstress clarified the legal request she made to change her name.
"I just got divorced, so I had to drop my married last name," Clarkson tells People. "I just kept my middle name for my personal life. I'm still Kelly Clarkson."
The former American Idol winner and ex-husband Brandon Blackstock finalized their divorce earlier this month. According to reports, Clarkson filed documents for a legal name change in February. US Weekly reported that she petitioned to be known by her first and middle names — Kelly Brianne — only.
Clarkson never used her married name publicly or professionally, and it sounds like the request to be Kelly Brianne won't be used in those settings, either. After all, she's been Kelly Clarkson to the world since she first auditioned for American Idol in 2002.
"I don't think I can change Clarkson at this point," she jokes. "I'm 20 years in!"
American Song Contest is Clarkson's third television project as of late. She serves as a coach on The Voice and hosts her own talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, both of which air on NBC. The new show pits singer-songwriters from across the nation and its territories against one another in the hopes of being crowned America's best song.
It's America's version of the long-standing Eurovision Song Contest, which has been a tradition in Europe for 65 years. American Song Contest is hosted by Clarkson and Snoop Dogg. It airs live on NBC each Monday at 8PM ET.
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