Miss Independent

Why This Matters: Big stars give syndication a pop of excitement that boosts the entire industry.

Kelly Clarkson is the pop superstar everyone feels they know, in part because they grew up with her. After she was crowned as the first winner of Fox's mega-hit American Idol in 2002, Clarkson climbed to the top of the charts and never came back down. American audiences have been with her and behind her the entire time.

Now, TV audiences will get to know her even better, and on a much more personal level than a stadium stage. The Kelly Clarkson Show has been cleared on the NBC Owned Television Stations where it will replace Steve, hosted by Steve Harvey, at 2 p.m. leading into Warner Bros.' Ellen DeGeneres at 3 p.m. in top markets such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Kelly Clarkson

She's one of us in a way that not other celebrities are, said executive producer Alex Duda, the five-time Emmy winner who will produce the show. Duda has executive-produced The Steve Harvey Show for NBCUniversal and The Tyra Banks Show for Warner Bros.

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Clarkson's ascent into the celebrity stratosphere has had as much to do with her comfort and charisma onstage as the popularity of her hit songs. I'm the girl who announces she's pregnant on stage and hasn't even told her husband, so my husband has had to sort of lean into that part about me, Clarkson said. I'm literally an open book. I'm totally imperfect and that's why I think I'm relatable.

This quality a down-to-earth celebrity is a unicorn in Hollywood, and NBC is betting she will be a breakaway star and bring some pop back into daytime television.

The Kelly Clarkson Show will include interviews and segments with both celebrities and everyday people, as well as field pieces in which Clarkson spends time in local communities.

We're aiming for half real people and half celebrities, Clarkson said. In the pilot, the show featured Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Terry Crews, Chloe Grace Moretz, This Is Us' Chrissy Metz and Josh Groban, as well as some real people sharing their lives with Clarkson. She also visited Los Angeles' so-called Skid Row, including one of the few homeless shelters in the area that accepts children.

Last year, TV audiences got their real first taste of Clarkson on TV in more than a decade. Paul Telegdy, now co-chairman of NBC Entertainment, recruited Clarkson to join Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Alicia Keys as a judge on The Voice, the network's musical competition series, putting her in a regular primetime slot for the first time since Idol.

Honestly, they had been asking me for a while to do The Voice and I just kept being pregnant, Clarkson laughed. Now she has two children of her own with husband and manager Brandon Blackstock, who also manages Shelton and Reba McIntire, and she's stepmom to Blackstock's two older kids.

Clarkson and Blake Shelton on NBCs "The Voice"

Clarkson's immediate charm on The Voice comes as no surprise if you take a journey down a YouTube rabbit hole and watch her original audition video for Idol. Back in 2002, you can already see that she was a perfect choice for The Voice.

After the just-turned-20-year-old Clarkson belted out immaculate a cappella versions of At Last and Madonna's Express Yourself, she then encouraged judge Randy Jackson to audition himself, taking a seat at the judge's table and quickly getting cozy with Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.

From that moment, a star was born. Clarkson went on to win the first edition of the show before 23 million viewers with 58% of the call-in vote. Since then, she's gone on to sell more than 25 million albums and 45 million singles worldwide, while winning three Grammy Awards, three MTV Video Music Awards, four American Music Awards, and two Academy of Country Music Awards. She's been at the top of the Billboard chart more than 100 times.

Even with all of those accolades, she's always remained true to herself, which is why she resonates with fans and viewers.

When I was going to meet Kelly, Paul [Telegdy] said to me, She's exactly who you think she is,' NBCUniversal executive vice president of creative affairs Tracie Wilson said. That's so true. I felt like I was her best friend. She is as down to earth as you can get. She's also one of the most talented people on the planet. What I love about Kelly is that she hasn't forgotten where she comes from.

Being a mother only adds to Clarkson's appeal to women-dominant daytime audiences, Valari Staab, president of NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations, said.

Anytime I talked to syndicators about personalities I would be interested in seeing do a show, she was always at the top of my list, Staab said. She's a mother of a blended family that includes teenagers and little ones. She manages a career and balances her home life incredibly well. She's very real and honest. She doesn't try to pretend her life and world is perfect. She's a person I think women of all ages can relate to and enjoy spending time with.

Pairing Up with Ellen

Clarkson is excited that the show is leading into Ellen. Clarkson and Ellen DeGeneres already have a great rapport, with Clarkson having appeared many times on Ellen, including right after she won Idol.

When Steve led into Ellen, Harvey and DeGeneres who are also friends and production partners appeared together in many promos. Staab expects that to happen again, schedules allowing.

Ellen is amazing with us and really does just about anything we ask her to do, Staab said.

I grew up watching Oprah and Ellen, Clarkson said. Those are two women I have looked up to in the industry they are humorous, they have a lot of heart and they do a lot of good for people.

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