Kelly Clarkson Reveals Her Kids' Friends Call Her by Her Full Name

Kelly Clarkson revealed the hysterical way her children's friends address her.

"It is funny because kids will use my full name," the singer said during the Tuesday, May 12, episode of her eponymous talk show. "They won't say River or Remy's mom. They'll be like, ‘Hi, Kelly Clarkson.' They'll say my full name every time like it's a game show."

Guest Jenna Bush Hager admitted that she also uses Clarkson's complete moniker when she talks to her.

"Wait, that's so true because I call you Kelly Clarkson," she said, adding that she doesn't drop the full name of her Today show colleagues Savannah Guthrie or Hoda Kotb.

Clarkson joked it was because she hadn't "made it" to the one-name level yet like Cher or Mariah. Bush Hager explained that it was actually because there are "too many Kellys."

"There's a lot of Kellys," Clarkson quipped. "Kelly Roland is very cool, Kelly Price … every cocktail waitress in the ‘80s - we were named after all of them."

Clarkson is mother to daughter River, 11, and son Remy, 9, whom she shared with late ex-husband Brandon Blackstock. (Blackstock died in August 2025 after a private battle with cancer. He was 48.)

Earlier this year, Clarkson opened up about how her children have been leaning on each other following Blackstock's death.

"My kids, they're 9 and 11. Kind of that special little fun stage where they can wipe their own behinds, but they're still small enough to, like, love cuddling and love snuggles," she said during a backstage Q&A video for her talk show in January. "There's been a lot for our family recently, and so I have allowed my kids to sleep with me quite a bit. It's my two dogs, my two kids and me. It's a lot. It's been really special, though, because … the conversations you have during that time are pretty cute. So that's probably my favorite time of day."

Over the years, River and Remy have made memorable appearances on the Kelly Clarkson Show. Recently, River made a cameo as a member of the behind the scenes crew.

"My daughter is here today," Clarkson said during an April episode. "Oh my God! You have a mic and everything! You're so fancy! Oh my God. I love it. You're like a little mini producer."

Back in February, Clarkson announced that her talk show would be coming to an end after seven seasons.

"I think everybody probably gets the timing," she said while appearing on Today at the time. "Our family life, the dynamic changed a bit, and it has changed for a minute now, so I think … it's one of those things when you kinda start seeing life with how it is precious, too."

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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 12:55 PM.