- I'm back, kicking it with Whitney Cummings
and this magical Winter Wonderland.
Give it up for Whitney, everybody.
(audience claps) (Kelly laughs)
I wanna be able to do that with my leg.
At the beginning of this season,
we launched a new initiative to help amplify black voices
and we all need to do our part.
It's vitally important for everyone to Be the Difference.
♪ Be the difference ♪ (audience claps)
The one and only Usher join me for our kickoff segment
where we met an extraordinary woman from Baltimore.
Through her program, Black Women Build,
she's helping women in her community
become first-time homeowners, which is amazing.
And her approach is super unique and innovative.
Y'all remember Shelley?
(air swooshes)
Shelley, explain what Black Women Build is.
- Black Women Build Baltimore is a homeownership
and wealth-building initiative that trains black women
in carpentry, electrical, and plumbing.
Right now, we have four houses
and I work with them every day to restore these houses.
When we're done restoring the houses,
the women have the opportunity to buy them.
- The beginning of empowering anyone
is to give them the options
and Shelley, she's an amazing example.
- You're what be the difference is all about.
And so, I know you're in the middle
of building three new houses right now.
So to help you with supplies and whatever else you need,
I'm just gonna give you $50,000.
(Shelley yells) (audience claps)
- [Whitney] It's so cool.
- It's so cool what she's doing.
We have Shelley dialed in from one of the houses
that's nearly complete.
So Shelley, it's great to see you again.
Happy holidays, meet Whitney.
- Hi!
Love you!
I don't have $50,000, but I'll give something.
(Kelly laughs)
She'll give you another.
- So Shelley, how's house building going?
How's it been going since we last saw each other?
- It's amazing, actually, we've done so much work
since we last saw you and honestly,
since being on the show, we've gotten a lot of attention.
Thank you so much.
People are really interested
in what we're doing and really reaching out.
So, it's just been amazing.
- Well, they're reaching out,
I mean, maybe the show put a spotlight on you,
but it's because you're doing something incredible
and people wanna help.
And right now, Shelley's at one
of the houses that's nearly done.
That's not all, it's already been sold
to a woman named Brianna
who's been working on her new house
alongside Shelley for the past five months.
So, let's bring her into the conversation.
What's up, Brianna?
- Hi, Kelly.
- Well, Brianna, you must be so excited
to be a first-time homeowner, right?
- I am so excited to be a homeowner.
To me, it means having my own space
and freedom and stability.
I come from a large family, I'm the oldest of 13.
I moved out when I was young.
I went to college for social work.
I was working two jobs, everything was overwhelming,
bills and all, so I dropped out and just worked.
I've made a couple of bad choices,
but my family's been super supportive.
So, with the help of them and Shelley,
I'm able to have my own house.
And I'm so excited, the first thing I'm gonna do
when I move in is I'm going to eat pizza in my bathtub.
(Whitney yells) - Oh my God,
we could be friends.
I'd love to tell you,
I've actually done that and it's awesome.
- With no water in it.
- Yeah, with no water, actually.
I think I maybe done that
at end of tour party at some point.
(Kelly laughs)
Shelley, I mean, do you,
you build these houses with these individuals,
does it kind of help you at the same time?
I always feel like sometimes
whenever I'm helping someone else,
I actually learned something
either about the world or myself, while that's happening.
Does that happen with you?
- Yeah, patience.
I'm joking.
(laughing)
- I was like, that's not my strong suit, Shelley.
- For real, no, this has been amazing.
Brianna is absolutely amazing.
We could not be where we are with the houses
if she wasn't on our team.
If she didn't have a knack for this before, she does now.
Everything I lay down, she picks up.
It's incredible, honestly.
- Comes from family of 13.
- [Kelly] Yeah.
- Always playing whack-a-mole.
You're always fixing something that's broken.
- Oh my gosh, 13, I know.
You have to be so excited Brianna
to have your own space.
That's a lot.
I mean, as we can see, with that tree,
Brianna's ready to celebrate her first Christmas
in her new house and our friends
at Xfinity want to help you settle in, Brianna.
So, Xfinity cares about the community
and knows that the internet has the incredible power
to keep us all connected to the things that matter most,
especially this year, when connectivity became vital
for many people to both work and school from home.
Brianna, I don't think you noticed,
but Xfinity left a present for you under the tree.
Do you wanna grab the one with the big bow tie?
Oh, there we go.
Open it up! - This?
Do it, do it! - Oh my God.
- Rip it open, rip it open!
- [Whitney] Hope it's not a jacket.
- And it's just tissue paper.
(laughs)
- [Whitney] Open it!
- Oh! - Oooooh!
Xfinity is giving you $25,000 to finish
and furnish your new home. (audience claps)
Are you excited about that?
- Oh my gosh, I am so excited.
- All right, well wait, in addition,
once your home is ready, Comcast will take care
of all of your tech needs and make sure
that you stay connected with complimentary Xfinity TV
and internet service, all free for one year.
What? Ba-ba-baaaa. (audience claps)
There we go.
Well, congrats to both of you.
I love you both.
You're both amazing women.
Shelley, we're gonna check back in with you, again,
when you're ready to hand over another house
or expand the program.
We love you here at the Kelly Clarkson Show.
- Thank you so much.