Kelly Clarkson Is The Talk Of 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony For All The Wrong Reasons

Kelly Clarkson was surely hoping that she'd be the talk of the town after the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony. The singer and talk show host hosted the kickoff event with former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and sports reporter Mike Tirico. However, despite the fact that she did take the internet by storm after her major hosting gig, the "American Idol" alum didn't gain attention for her emcee skills. Instead, she's getting a lot of flak for distracting from the actual event. 

Ahead of July 26's opening ceremony on NBC, the co-hosts appeared on the TODAY show and shared a bit about what folks could expect. "It's beautiful. I'm afraid to talk because I'm afraid I'm going to say something I shouldn't," Clarkson explained. "Everyone is afraid of me talking, but it's so magical. I can't imagine people won't be crying. It's a beautiful thing."  While Clarkson may not have spilled the beans about what would take place at the opening ceremony, according to many people on the internet, she did talk way too much during the event. As one Olympics-watcher on X, formerly known as Twitter, put it, "She won't stop yapping!"

While the Paris Olympics opening ceremony featured plenty to talk about, many people on social media found Kelly Clarkson's distracting hosting to be a particularly important topic of conversation. One tweet read, "These opening ceremonies would be more fun if Kelly Clarkson didn't react to everything that's happened like she's never left her house before." Another X user wrote, "Whoever at NBC watching live that gave the ok to Kelly Clarkson" with a GIF of actor, Jason Bateman, saying, "I've made a huge mistake." 

Despite this feedback, it's easy to imagine why Clarkson was chosen to host the historic event in the first place. She has won an Emmy for her work as the host of NBC's "The Kelly Clarkson Show" every year since 2020. While, as a daytime talk show host, "yapping" is a major part of the job, in the case of the Olympics, it's better to sit back and let the audience take in the show. Clarkson did, however, manage to take home one of the first awards of the Paris Olympics — at least as far as one X user is concerned. "Worst Timing Award," they wrote, adding, "Kelly Clarkson's reactions to the Opening Ceremony are genuine, but her constant cut-ins in the middle of performances keep viewers from feeling the atmosphere being portrayed." Luckily, transitioning from host to audience member for the rest of the Olympics will likely be a better gig for Clarkson. 

For more on celebrities at the largest athletic event in the world, check out the worst-dressed stars at the 2024 Paris Olympics.