Originally appeared on E! Online
Kelly Clarkson knows Carrie Underwood has been waiting for a moment like this.
“The Kelly Clarkson Show” host — whose sixth season kicks off on NBC Sept. 23 — shared that she’s so excited for her fellow “American Idol” alum to join the competition show’s upcoming season as a judge following Katy Perry’s exit.
“I think that’s brilliant,” Clarkson exclusively told E! News cohost Keltie Knight in an interview airing Sept. 12. “Like, what better person to have — somebody that’s won that show to come back.”
And Clarkson knows firsthand how incredible it is to be a part of a music competition show, as both the winner of “American Idol”‘s first season and as a judge on “The Voice.” As she explained, she was able to “look at these artists and go, ‘No, no, no, this isn’t lip service. I’ve been you literally, and this can happen and it’s a lot of hard work.'”
And Clarkson believes Underwood — who won season four of “American Idol” — will also be able “to be honest with them,” especially because she’s experienced the same process and has gone on to have such “a huge career.”
“That’s invaluable,” Clarkson said. “To have somebody to look at and go, ‘OK, they’ve done it and they’re sitting right there. So, that means I am capable of doing it. I can dream that big.'”
Emphasizing that Underwood was an “awesome pick,” the 42-year-old added, “I think she’s going to do great.” And Clarkson isn’t the only one excited for Underwood’s new gig. Former “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell also expressed his delight about the 41-year-old’s judge duties.
“I think it’s a good choice,” he previously told E! News. “Carrie, we go back a long way. I remember her audition like it was yesterday. She was so good, she’s such a sweet person.”
And Underwood’s fellow judge Lionel Richie is thrilled she’ll be joining him and Luke Bryan, especially because of her Idol background.
“What a great judge,” Richie told E! News in August. “Now we don’t have to explain anymore, ‘We know how you feel.’ As artists, we know how you feel, but we’ve never been in that oval that says, ‘American Idol.’ She’s been there, done that.”
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But don’t expect Underwood to dish out any harsh criticism to the contestants à la Cowell.
“I can be honest and constructive, but still kind,” she noted on SiriusXM’s “Music Row Happy Hour” in Las Vegas in August. “And I think that’s the whole point, because people are coming in and it’s dreams. You’re part of somebody’s story from that moment on.”
And the “Before He Cheats” singer knows she’s up to the challenge of judging, especially because she’s a versatile artist.
“Hopefully, when I listen to people come and audition,” Underwood continued, “I can have any lens I need to put on in terms of what music I’m thinking.”
