Kelly Clarkson is known for her powerful voice and her utterly relatable, down-to-earth persona. Nowhere was this more evident than on the red carpets of the Golden Globe Awards, where her unbridled enthusiasm and capacity for star-struck panic turned routine celebrity encounters into viral, hilarious moments in awards show history. Her genuine, enthusiastic, and often clumsy fan moments, played out on live television, cemented her reputation as the most charmingly human star on the carpet.
The Meryl Streep “Near-Trip”
The most famous of Clarkson’s award show moments occurred at the 2018 Golden Globes. While wrapping up a red-carpet interview with host Ryan Seacrest, Clarkson suddenly gasped and stumbled while descending the stairs. Seacrest, panicking, assumed she had tripped on her gown. The reality was far funnier: Clarkson was not felled by her dress, but by a sudden sighting of her ultimate idol, Meryl Streep. The singer’s pure, screaming fangirl reaction was captured live on camera. “Oh my God, that’s Meryl! That’s Meryl!” Clarkson exclaimed, before scrambling back up the stairs toward the cinematic legend, shouting: “Can I meet you?! I’ve adored you since I was like eight!” The iconic actress, taking the moment in stride, graciously met Clarkson, even caressing her cheek. Clarkson later recounted in interviews that she was so overwhelmed by the sheer star power that she saw celebrities as abstract concepts, joking about mistaking an object—the famous “Red Tree” or “Red Chair”—for a star. The moment instantly went viral, an unforgettable display of pure celebrity fandom.
The Long-Awaited Meeting with Steve Carell
That same night, Kelly Clarkson generated another iconic moment by finally meeting the man who turned her name into an iconic comedy quote: Steve Carell. For 13 years, Carell’s indelible scream of “AHHHH! KELLY CLARKSON!” during his excruciating chest-waxing scene in the 2005 film The 40-Year-Old Virgin had been a beloved, meme-worthy joke. The random inclusion of Clarkson’s name in the iconic scene was actually the idea of the writers, who created a list of random things Carell could yell in anguish, with Carell later explaining that he chose her name partly because he’s a fan and partly because it was hilariously unexpected. The long-awaited meeting finally happened at the 2018 Golden Globes, where the two embraced and took a picture that Carell later posted with the simple, satisfying caption: “Finally.” Clarkson quickly responded, calling it “One of my favorite moments of my life! I love you and your lovely wife! #ahhhhhhhstevecarell,” providing adorable closure to one of pop culture’s most famous running gags. The twin moments solidified Kelly Clarkson as the queen of relatable awards show encounters.