Getty Kelly Clarkson performs on stage.
Well before she found fame on “American Idol,” Kelly Clarkson lived in her car after her home “burned down.” On the December 27 episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Clarkson was visited by actor Kevin Bacon. The pair reflected on their own personal hardships after moving to the big city.
“I actually moved out to L.A. with some random person I did not know,” Clarkson shared.
Bacon seemed genuinely shocked by Clarkson’s confession. “Really?” he asked.
“Yeah, she just needed a roommate. I was like, ‘I’ll do it,’ and I moved from Texas to L.A. with a stranger,” she replied. When asked how long her initial time with her new roommate lasted, Clarkson recalled a harrowing ordeal. “Not long. We moved into a place and it burned down, so yeah,” she said. “Then, I slept in my car for a few days and then tried out for a show called ‘American Idol’ so it all worked out.”
In 2002, Clarkson won the first season of “American Idol” when she was just 20 years old. During her 21 years as an active musical artist, Clarkson has won three Grammy Awards. Her most recent album, “Chemisty,” has also been nominated for the 2024 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album.
Kevin Bacon Had His Own Desperate Times
Before Kelly Clarkson told the story about her home burning down, Bacon revealed his own struggles after moving to New York City. “In 1976, uh my budget for my apartment was $150 a month,” Bacon revealed.
After staying on his sister’s couch for four months, Bacon says that he was able to find his own place. The only catch was that he also had to share it with a random stranger. When offered a two-room apartment for $325 by a property manager, Bacon realized he couldn’t afford it. That’s when he turned to a stranger who asked, “You want to live together?”
Unable to turn it down, Bacon accepted the stranger’s offer. “And we lived together for four years,” Bacon told Clarkson. He then revealed that he and his roommate still stay in touch. “In fact, I just had lunch with him the other day.”
Clarkson Had Nothing To Lose Before ‘American Idol’
In January 2019, Clarkson joined Guy Raz on the podcast series, “The Rewind.” She talked about what led her to make the move to Los Angeles as an 18-year-old. “I had a lot of older friends that I watched go to college and just waste their time,” she said. “I knew that I’d rather go out and almost like an apprentice-style, just start doing background vocals for people and then just kind of work my way up. So I chose to move to L.A. randomly.”
After making the move, Clarkson learned firsthand that life won’t always be easy. The pop star picked up several part-time jobs in order to survive. “I worked at a comedy club, I was a cocktail waitress at a comedy club. I’ve worked at a Papa John’s. I’ve worked at a Subway,” she recalled. “I did anything that paid. I made any job work. Even now, when people are like, ‘I can’t find a job,’ I’m like, ‘Well, then, you’re not looking.’ Because if you’re hungry enough and you want electricity, you’ll work anywhere, and so I did.”
Clarkson credits her time spent with nothing as her key motivator. For her, she decided that it was time to take risks. Before her “American Idol” win, Clarkson knew she wasn’t going to be handed anything for free. “I think when you have nothing, you have nothing to lose, so you walk in and you’re like what do I need to do to get this job? I think when you’re at the bottom, you’re vulnerable, you’re open and you’re willing. You’re not too cool for anything because you can’t afford to be,” Clarkson said. “So I think that helped me, honestly.”