- I mean you have a lot of jobs,
like on three different continents
but I feel like you do a really good job at that
and connect to people and being real with the people.
Like whatever show you're on, you're very real with them,
you're very honest.
You're supportive in like a cool way.
- I'm really good at that.
(audience laughing)
That's why I've got a job on three different continents.
No!
Yeah, I'm doing three different shows right now.
Judging and being on a panel,
you know what that's like.
- [Kelly] Oh you work with Simon!
- I work with Simon.
I do X Factor with him, I do Australia's Got Talent.
That's been fun, the Australian accent is just,
it's good times guys. - [Kelly] It's sexy.
- It's heaps, heaps of fun. - [Kelly] It's sexy.
- And then I've got the Masked Singer here.
So it's crazy, I think I did 10 15 hour flights
in less than three weeks just now.
I just flew it.
- How are you awake?
Like what are you, is it like a lot of caffeine involved?
- Tequila!
I'm joking!
(audience cheers)
- Yes, yes, yes!
- I know Kelly Clarkson's audience now.
- Yes, this is my audience, yes.
- Actually, I love a little tequiler but,
actually I can't do that with this schedule.
It's crazy, I've been trying to sleep on the plane
as much as I can because normally I rest and then I go
straight set on the plane. - Do you have a problem
sleeping on planes?
Or can you sleep on a plane? - I don't.
I actually like it, I find it it's like a little
date with myself.
- Okay.
(audience laughing)
- That and then when I land, I always go straight
to a workout because I have to sweat it out
and I learned a new word I'd like to share with you all.
(audience laughing)
- I wish I did that. - [Tony] yeah I don't do that.
- I don't want to.
- I go to like, eat pie here or something.
(audience laughing)
- I do that after.
- I need to be friends with you.
- I do that after.
- So you're habits can rub off on me.
- I workout so I can eat that pie like 24/7
but I learned a new word in Australia, you guys ready?
So this is what's keeping me motivated.
- What?
- I learned sula, does anyone know what a sula is?
- A sula?
- If you don't have a sula, you're not working hard enough.
A sula, - [Tony] Sounds terrifying.
- Is a sweaty upper lip alert.
- Oh a sweaty upper lip? - Alert.
So you gotta work so hard, you get that little.
- I call that the Whitney,
I feel like Whitney always had that.
(audience laughing)
- She did.
(Kelly crooning)
- And it'd be like right here and I was like,
I work so hard for that and I can't get--
I spit on you.
- She was working hard enough, it's part of it.
- [Kelly] Yeah. - When y'all are,
y'all are working out.
- I'm gonna go for the lip sweat.
- Go for the sula.
- Hey your accent's really good, by the way.
- It's rubbish but thank you. - [Kelly] I'm horrible
at accents, I thought that was really good.
- We actually grew up, well I'm from the south as well.
- [Kelly] Similar south, yeah. - Really?
Sorry to interrupt, are you really?
- I was born in Hawaii but I grew up in Kentucky.
- Do you think it's crazy though?
Okay you grew up in the south and maybe
from more beginnings than obviously now.
Do you think it's crazy of like,
my husband I talk about this all the time
with my life, in our life we're like wow!
We came from nothing and do you think about that?
- Yeah!
I come from real humble beginnings.
- Me too.
- I think when I was six years old though
is when I heard a voice that changed my life forever
and that was Whitney. - Oh.
- And I heard the song, the Greatest Love of All.
Such an epic song, the lyrics
are so prevalent still today right?
- Literally I love hearing that.
What were your kind of beginnings?
- When I moved to New-- - Yeah, you've better
been humble, Tony!
- No I was humble.
(audience laughing)
My first-- - When I took
the silver spoon from my mouth.
- No my favorite thing to do is, I'd go into a mall.
My first, I love a mall.
- I was like, did he just say mall?
- It's a mall, it's a mall.
No but I remember when I moved to New York,
my first show was Shakespeare in the Parking Lot
in the East Village.
(audience laughing)
And we did... - There it is.
- It is, yeah. - There it is.
- We did, I'm not kidding.
We did Taming of the Shrew in a parking lot
in the East Village and I rocked it.
- You said, Shakespeare in.
- [Both] The Parking Lot.
- It's not like a garage band that's like.
- No no. - Parking lot.
- We did full Shakespeare next to all
the East Village folks. - I love that.
- It was in the mid 90's. - [Nicole] That's awesome.
- So top that Nicole!
- All right, oh!
(audience laughing)
- Well tell him, I can't 'cause that was epic.
- I did it in my backyard but.
- I did it in my, my first studio was my closet
'cause all the acoustics, all the clothes would suck up--
- I've also watched compilation videos of your judging
on YouTube, by the way.
Yeah, oh yeah, I've seen you cry to singers
and I love it.
There's this one guy, I won't get into it.
I'm gonna stop. - [Kelly] No get into it.
- But that one guy, - We're here for it Tommy.
- He actually a gray suit like this
but it was like you, it's that moment when they hit the note
and you go (gasps).
And you could always tell when it's moving
'cause you're always starting to cry
and I was telling Kelly, I love watching
those compilations but I can't understand
how you guys reject.
I mean, I would be the Paula Abdul of the panel,
I'd be like, you guys.
(audience clapping)
- Kelly, let me know if you're like this.
In the beginning, I used to be just so precious.
Just so tender. - Yeah sure, sure.
- I just could never say no, I did not--
- Was that, your southern came out there.
- Now, Tony.
(Nicole coughing)
After all these years, no cut two.
I'm just like, next!
Don't waste my time. - [Kelly] Oh my god!
- No!
(audience laughing)
Because like you gotta keep it real with us.
- You have been hanging with Simon, a lot.
- Let me help you out, all right?
You can relish in that, that's delicious,
it's yummy in your bedroom, okay?
And with your family. - All right, all right.
- No, but anybody knows that I'm a good,
I pride myself mostly in mentoring.
So I'm all talk now but I always give constructive
criticism. - And you're not helping them
by just BS-ing them.
- You're not, but I also give constructive criticism.
They never show it after in the edits
but I actually give them a long list of like,
listen I need you to work because--
- I need you to stop.
- Anywhere, if you ever wanna get anywhere.
If you ever wanna get anywhere in life,
it's gonna take work.
- You guys must feel of that empath of like,
if everyone's coming on that stage so nervous.
Is it hard not to take on that anxiety?
- Oh mine isn't about, like nervous for them
auditioning, mine is if they get a no.
The first season I cried all the time
'cause I was just so and they're like,
you need to harden up a bit because then
you're making it seem worse than it is.
'Cause it's not a no forever, it's a no for now.
(all speaking)
- I started out like that, my first couple years.
Now I'm like, you're wastin' my time.
(audience laughing)
I don't have time to waste
and I sound like that when I say it.
- And I'm not kidding, I'm not kidding
my family, like my mom and sister especially are obsessed.
Like my sister was obsessed with the Masked Singer
so we are very much looking forward to it.