Kelly Clarkson and John Legend recently teamed up for a rendition of the holiday classic “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” for Legend’s new Christmas album, and the two decided to update the song with some more socially conscious lyrics. The artist choice sparked a debate among fans, and Clarkson responded to the controversy during Tuesday’s episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show when Legend’s wife, Chrissy Teigen, appeared as a guest.
“Did you not hear that John and I ruined Christmas recently?” Clarkson laughingly asked Teigen. “I was like,’ How did I mess that up?’
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“Sharon Osbourne, man. She hates you guys,” Teigen replied, referencing Osbourne’s comments about the song on The Talk. “She was just on my show!” Clarkson exclaimed.
The American Idol winner explained the origin of the remake to the audience, sharing that Legend had the idea to update the lyrics after some radio stations pulled the original version from the air.
“Then Sharon assumed that you burned them all in the backyard or something and they can never listen to the original again,” Teigen pointed out.
Clarkson explained, “We like the original, but we noticed that a lot of people didn’t. So we were like, ‘Let’s just give them another option.’ And apparently, we killed Christmas.”
“The original doesn’t even offend me,” she added “I was like, ‘Cool, we’ll do another version.’”
“Exactly,” Teigen exclaimed. “Like, I’m not offendable. Like, I hear it all. It’s hard to offend me. I wasn’t mad about the song. I don’t care what you guys do, but to be like, ‘I hate this now.’ Oh my god, get over it. Go off, Sharon!”
“I love Sharon!” Clarkson declared. “Here’s the thing, she actually said, and she means it, she loves y’all. That’s why I thought it was so weird. She took it so personal. I just thought it was weird. But here’s the thing. I actually love her. I do. She came on here, and I was like, ‘I love her. I think she’s so funny.’ But then I was like, ‘We didn’t kill Christmas.’”
“You’re nicer than me, man,” Teigen deadpanned.
“Well, because I’m trying to understand it,” Clarkson told her. “Because I’m like, ‘There are so many issues in the world right now.’”
The song’s new lines include:
“I really can’t stay (Baby, it’s cold outside)”
“I’ve gotta go away (I can call you a ride)”
“This evening has been (So glad that you dropped in)”
“So very nice (Time spent with you is paradise)”
“My mother will start to worry (I’ll call a car and tell ’em to hurry)”
There’s also a section where the two stars exchange the following lines:
“What will my friends think…” Clarkson sings.
“I think they should rejoice,” Legend responds.
“… if I have one more drink?”
“It’s your body, and your choice.”
Photo Credit: Getty / NBC
