Kelly Clarkson Tells Talk Show Guest She Would ‘Never’ Date Him

Getty Singer/songwriter/talk show host Kelly Clarkson

Former Voice coach Kelly Clarkson recently had comedian Howie Mandel as a guest on her daytime talk show, “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” The two were enjoying friendly banter when Mandel criticized the way Clarkson pronounced the word “Vespa.”

WATCH a Clip on Instagram

Clarkson was talking about riding a Vespa scooter under the Tuscan sun when Mandel interrupted with, “But you shouldn’t … It all goes together. It’s Vespa, It’s not Ves-PA. It’s Vespa.”

Mandel, a judge on “America’s Got Talent,” insisted that Clarkson was making way too much out of the second syllable, which led her to respond, “I think what we’ve discovered is we would never date in any realm.”

He flashed a quick, surprised look and a confused smile and said, “No, I like you. Are you taking it seriously?” Mandel seemed genuinely concerned that he had offended Clarkson.

Clarkson laughed and said, “Oh, my God, no. I would hug you, but I know you don’t like to be hugged.” Clarkson was referring to the fact that Mandel is a self-proclaimed germaphobe.  He refuses to shake people’s hands, giving fist bumps instead. According to an October 2021 Yahoo! News story, he has even been known to wash his hands for hours, due to his obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This has been going on for most of his life, Yahoo! reported.

Mandel clapped back, “No I don’t want to be hugged,” which made Clarkson laugh even harder. Mandel, seated on a couch, then suggested that they could spoon before turning his back toward her. Clarkson inched up behind him, sat there for a second and then went to back to her chair, where she had a sudden realization.

“I kind of just pressed my boobs against you,” she said.

Mandel quipped, “Don’t worry about it. I’m wearing protection,” which had the audience roaring.

Fans seemed to enjoy the banter, responding favorably to Clarkson’s post of the clip on Instagram (above).  One user wrote, “This entire thing was so funny i’m still cackling.” Another agreed, posting, “This was hilarious!!! I think I just watched it 10x.”

One viewer exclaimed, “As if I couldn’t love Kelly anymore than I already did 😂.” Another joked, “Moral of the story: wear protection!”

The Show Is Winning

It is likely that this type of comedic exchange helped earn “The Kelly Clarkson Show” seven Emmys at the 49th annual Daytime Emmy Awards on June 24.

According to Next TV, “The Kelly Clarkson Show was the big winner at Friday night’s Daytime Emmys, adding two more wins — outstanding entertainment talk show and outstanding entertainment talk show host — to the show’s Creative Arts haul of five.

“This is the second consecutive year that the show has won in this category, and the third that Clarkson, who was not present at the ceremony, has been named outstanding host,” Next TV wrote.

Clarkson can add those Emmys to her shelf of awards, which consists of three Grammys as well, for best female pop vocal performance (2006) and best pop vocal album (2006 and 2013), according to Grammy.com.

READ NEXT: Kelly Clarkson’s Ex Brings Her Back to Court