Kelly Clarkson has a simple message to her human resources department: she’s happier than ever and quit telling her to shut up about it. According to People, during her show at Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena in Atlantic City, NJ on Saturday (May 10), the singer took a moment during the gig to chat with an audience member who praised her “sexy” appearance.
Clarkson, 43, said she appreciated the compliment, but noted that she has had a hard time complimenting other people’s looks on the set of her eponymous NBC daytime talk show because HR keeps telling her it’s not appropriate.
“Every time I go to an HR meeting, I’m like, ‘How have I not been fired?’ I grew up on the road at 19 years old, you know what I’m saying? I’m like, ‘Oh, that is inappropriate. I would never,’” she said of the conversations. Last May on her show, Clarkson and Whoopi Goldberg bonded over their use of the prescription medication Ozempic for weight loss, with Kelly saying she’s lost a “lot” of weight on the drug.
“But they also say you’re not allowed to say someone looks attractive, and I say f–k that,” Clarkson told the crowd. “Because some of those b–ches are out here working, and we’re trying, and I want every motherf–ker that passes me to go, ‘Damn. Well done.’” To be fair, Clarkson added, she doesn’t think there is anything wrong with anyone’s bodies, whatever shape, telling her fans that she felt “very confident” at her previous weight.
“I felt fine both ways, but I’m just saying it’s a lot more fun with clothes now. And I’ve been working on it,” she said. According to People, she thanked the fan for the compliment and quipped that she will “not be calling HR” about their interaction. “It is not a joke. I know HR is not a joke, but it is really funny some of the things they talk about,” she said. “And we’re like, ‘Oh no. We would never.’”
The Saturday show was one of two she played in Atlantic City, where, during the Friday night gig she lamented to the audience that she is bummed she can’t tour like she used to due to the schedule of her TV show. “We haven’t done a show in a while, y’all, ’cause I have a talk show. It’s like a whole other job,” said Clarkson, who has not mounted a full tour since 2019. “We are bummed ’cause we love doing shows, and it’s hard to fit it in, so it’s cool when it does work out with the schedule. And it’s cool to get to see your faces and feed off y’all. Thank you so much for having so much energy.”
