- My wife and I are big "American Idol" fans.
We go way back, so I'm really feeling
a little star struck and insecure right now.
- The Kelly squared.
The Kelly squared happening right now.
- The Kelly squared, yes.
- There's a lot of personality sitting here.
- We are both actually very similar I think.
- We are, well Texas and Carolina.
- [Kelly Clarkson] Yes, and bubbly yeah.
We're Southern, we're good girls.
We both started on "Idol."
- [Kelly] Yes.
- And I had no idea until literally last night,
that one of your audition songs was
"Since You've Been Gone."
- [Kelly] Yes, oh my gosh!
- I love that, I didn't know that!
- Yes, well big fan.
- Oh well, thank you.
- But no, I remember auditioning,
you know there's so many different rounds--
- Before you even get to the--
- Before you even get to Paula, Randy and Simon,
which we had the original three.
- [Kelly Clarkson] Oh my gosh!
- [Kelly] Oh my gosh!
Time doesn't slow down for nobody does it?
(Kelly Clarkson laughs)
You go in, do um,
I actually auditioned with
"The Sweetest Thing" by Juice Newton.
- Yeah, yeah.
- [Kelly] Went through to the next round,
and then sang that one again and I thought,
maybe this will be good, keep doing this one,
and I think it was Paula had asked me
to sing something, "Could you sing something pop?"
And I just started singing your song.
- That's so funny.
- And I was terrified because--
- You picked, I mean I gotta be real with you,
that would not be my go-to for an audition.
(laughs)
That's a hell of a song! - I mean, I didn't know,
and you were the first person that came to mind.
And then just 20 seconds of something else,
and so I sang "Broken Wing" by Martina McBride.
- [Kelly Clarkson] Oh good song, good pick!
They had me do the same thing.
They had all of us do
- different songs. - You're like a good luck
charm for me.
It got me through to the next round.
- Well, that's awesome.
They had all of us do that though.
Everybody thinks it's like one song.
I had to sing like three different ones
even to get. - Oh yeah, yeah.
- I was like, am I still proving
that I can sing on key here?
What's happening, what?
- This is amazing backstage dish
from "American Idol!"
We are spilling the tea today.
- We are!
- It's everywhere.
(Kelly Clarkson laughs)
- So, I heard we also have something in common,
you eloped right?
- Yes. - My husband and I eloped.
- That's right.
- He had a whole plan.
- Oh my gosh, us too.
- [Kelly Clarkson] Yeah and then ah, nope.
- We had this whole big wedding planned
in Nashville and the only thing
we had failed to do was send invitations out.
So I'm looking at the guest list--
- Wait, what?
So this wasn't on purpose?
You forgot to invite people?
- No, I'm getting to it, so we had this list
and I'm going, "Hell, I don't even like
"half of these people
"and I don't even know the rest."
You know, because you invite this person
and that person and then you gotta, it becomes
this big ordeal. - That is exactly why
I canceled my wedding.
- And it felt like a CMA after party, you know?
- Yes!
(audience laughs)
I'm just like, this big production.
- And it's supposed to be about your moment.
- Yeah, so I said, "Baby, let's just run away,"
and he goes, "Whew, thought you'd never ask."
So we didn't tell anybody and just ran off.
- That's so awesome, he was sweet about it.
That's so good.
- It was so perfect for us.
Everybody has to do what's right for them.
- I will say, you had a very rare honeymoon location.
- We did.
- You were in Baghdad?
- That's right, well, that's the place to go now.
(everyone laughs)
Great deals on flights.
(Kelly Clarkson laughs)
I've been working with the USO for many years
and I was booked to go on one early January,
so we said I do and then hopped on a plane
and flew overseas to Iraq and yeah.
- Wow.
- We spent our honeymoon there.
- It's amazing.
- All the soldiers at each spot that we would stay at,
had a honeymoon suite for us.
It was the funniest thing, we had a ball though.
We wouldn't have changed it.
- Oh my gosh, that's so sweet.
That's cool that you followed through,
it is very important.
They sacrifice a lot for us.
- Say what you mean, mean what you say
and honor your word.
- Get it South!
I love it.
- Well that's when that sass comes out, I guess.
(audience applauds)
But yeah, we've been blessed to be a part
troop USA tours.
- What about your wedding?
Did y'all elope or did you have a big wedding?
- We had a secret wedding in our backyard
with 25 people.
- [Kelly Clarkson] That's amazing.
- Mostly people that were on your list, so.
(everyone laughs)
- I'm sorry.
- There were some country music brass,
no, we just, we had the same thing
where we just said, you know what?
Let's not do the big to do.
Let's just keep it very small
and in fact, it was a surprise wedding.
It was the night before the Emmy's and
Meghan was nominated, so we had our families come
and we just had 'em over
and we said, "Oh, by the way, if you step
"into the backyard, this is our wedding."
- What, that's the coolest thing ever.
- That's great, yes.
- How did y'all meet again?
How did you and Meghan meet?
- We met doing a play in Los Angeles.
She was a couple years into "Will and Grace"
and I was living in somebody's basement and--
- And she was like, "Yes."
- She was like, "Yeah, I'm sick of classy individuals."
Let me find a carpenter.
- (laughs) That's awesome.
- Kelly, tell us about your movie,
it's "Mistletoe Secret" right, Hallmark?
- I play a small town girl from North Carolina,
so it wasn't far of a stretch, you know.
And, I'm trying to save my little town
and bring small businesses, help them come back to life
and bring tourists there.
There's a love interest that comes into play, of course.
- [Kelly Clarkson] Of course, I'd expect nothing less.
- And so much drama because it's Hallmark, you know?
- Yeah, I love it.
- No, it's a sweet little love story and I get to--
- That's why I love those movies, they feel good.
- They're feel good movies, right.
They all have happy endings, so I love it.
- So not like life (laughs)
- I know right?
That's why I'm like, oh is this the way
Christmas is supposed to be?
(laughs)
- It's very different at my house.