They’re both popular daytime talk show hosts,
but they also once bonded over an embarrassing similarity in their filmographies.
Kelly Clarkson and the late Jerry Springer are more alike than you might think.
Springer was one of the most famous daytime hosts of all time,
with his notorious “The Jerry Springer Show” being one of the messiest,
can’t-look-away TV shows ever made. The series ran for 28 seasons between
1991 and 2018 and showed us all the shocking stories America had to offer. Over the years,
guests confronted each other with paternity tests, lie detectors, and, famously, their fists.
On the other end of the daytime talk show spectrum, we have "The Kelly Clarkson Show."
Clarkson steers clear of the wilder '90s approach to daytime talk, instead simply
inviting famous faces on her show to chat about their lives and latest projects. But being uber
successful hosts wasn’t the big thing these two bonded over when they sat down for a chat.
When Springer visited "The Kelly Clarkson Show” in 2020, he and Clarkson expressed
embarrassment about something they’d both been at the center of — major box office bombs.
"Wait, you also made a movie."
"And so did you, Fancy Pants."
"Mine is contractually obligated. It was horrible!"
They both then laughed over their tragic movie pasts,
even high-fiving over just how "horrible" their projects were. So what was Springer's big bomb?
"It was about two hours too long, is what it was."
Springer's "Ringmaster" came out in 1998 and didn't exactly set the
box office on fire. In fact, it pretty much bombed, only recouping $9.2 million
of the reported $20 million it took to make it, according to Box Office Mojo.
As for Clarkson's movie mishap, she was referring to her notorious post-"American Idol" release,
"From Justin To Kelly," which she starred in alongside "Idol" runner-up Justin Guarini.
That pulled in $4.9 million at the box office in 2003, far less than its $12 million budget.
Clarkson and Springer totally trashing their movies was hardly a shock to anyone who’s heard of
"Ringmaster" or "From Justin To Kelly." Both have admitted they’re not proud of their movie careers,
with Clarkson especially opening up about how bad her experience was. Revealing she couldn’t get
out of it because of her airtight "American Idol" contract, she told the Los Angeles Times in 2019,
"It was a very miserable time of my life. I feel like it’s one of those things where,
‘There are plenty of people that would love to do this — why don’t you ask one of them?’
I cried. I talked to many lawyers and could not get out of the movie."
"What are you thinking about now?"
"I'm thinking about how happy I am that you gave me a second chance."
Springer’s foray onto the big screen also got plenty of criticism when it was released,
including the Washington Post listing it among the worst movies of 1998,
while MTV News called it one of the "best worst movies in history."
"Why do I let you talk me into this stuff?"
Springer had no bad blood with celebrities like Kelly Clarkson following in his talk
show footsteps. He was once asked how he felt about big names like Clarkson and
Drew Barrymore getting their own shows. He said things have changed a lot since
his show debuted in 1991. He said on the Behind The Velvet Rope podcast in 2022,
"I know who these people are and they have incredibly successful shows,
so good for them. They're very popular. Now the hosts tend to be people that are
already famous. You know, back in the early days it was someone that did local news,
suddenly became a talk show host, including Oprah, so that's what's changed."
Springer was at the forefront of the reality TV craze, but that doesn't mean
he was necessarily proud of his work. He joked with Behind the Velvet Rope that he,
quote, "ruined the culture." But that doesn't mean he didn't defend the show
that made him a household name. Springer said at the Edinburgh TV Festival in 2019,
"I'm the first to say it's stupid. I wouldn't watch it. I often heard the word 'trash',
and I would argue that the criticism is elitist."