Kelly Clarkson, 44, revealed that her children won’t be allowed to watch her movie debut, From Justin to Kelly.
At her Las Vegas concert on Saturday, August 15, Clarkson noticed a fan wearing an Etsy T-shirt inspired by the flick. The 2003 romantic comedy film starred Clarkson, the inaugural winner of American Idol, and Justin Guarini, the first season’s runner-up.
The film became Clarkson’s first time on the silver screen. After spotting the fan, Clarkson joked that the film was “an Oscar-worthy number,” before revealing that she and Guarini were “contractually obligated” to star in it.
“Man, read the f---ing fine print, you know,” she told the audience, according to a video obtained by Entertainment Weekly. “I didn’t know that if you won, you had to do a movie. Not all of us want to be Meryl Streep, we just like watching her, OK? I was like, ‘I don’t want to be in a movie,’ but they were like, ‘Yeah, but you won.’ And I was like, ‘And I feel like I’m losing? It doesn’t feel quite like a win.’”
She then told the T-shirt-wearing fan that they are watching the film with “loving eyes,” but gave her own take on it. “It’s s--t,” she said.
“It is funny though, like, my kids, I’ve banned them from watching,” Clarkson said.
Clarkson had two children with Brandon Blackstock: River Rose, 12, and Remington, 10.
Blackstone, Clarkson’s ex-husband, died of melanoma in August 2025 at the age of 48. The singer married Blackstock, a talent manager, in 2013. She filed for divorce in 2020; it was finalized in 2022.
Clarkson was categorical about keeping her children away from the film, adding, “My nanny’s, like, ‘I loved that movie when it came out.’ I was like, ‘And I judge you—all day, all night. I’m just kidding.”
Clarkson’s view of her film is not unfounded. From Justin to Kelly, a box-office bomb, was widely panned by critics. It holds an 8 percent approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.
In 2009, Clarkson slammed the film on Live with Regis and Kelly, stating that she was “contractually obligated” to take part.
Clarkson has not appeared on the silver screen in an acting capacity since. She lent her voice to two animated films, The Star and Trolls World Tour.
The Grammy winner offered a few consolations about that part of her career on stage. “I will say this about that: I got to work with Tommy Sims. Justin and I really liked the producer. Working with him was incredible,” Clarkson told the audience.
“The music part, that was fun,” she continued. “See? You gotta find the positive, motherf---ers, you know? Turn that s--t into lemonade … and cry yourself to sleep.”
