Billboard Awards: Kelly Clarkson Delights Viewers With Medley, Celebrity Jokes in Opening Monologue

Kelly Clarkson showed viewers and the audience at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards who’s boss during her opening monologue at the start of the show.

The Voice coach returned as host of the music awards ceremony right after Taylor Swift’s opening performance, and wasted no time in making fun of herself.

After running into Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Terry Crews in the audience and sitting next to him for a breather, their conversation was interrupted by football star Rob Gronkowski dressed as a security guard telling her she had to move seats because she was in Florida Georgia Line’s place.

To prove she belonged there, and that she was hosting the show, the singer broke into a medley of many of the year’s hit songs, including “Meant to Be” by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line, “Talk” by Khalid and “I Like It” by Cardi B.

“Did anyone else catch Rob Gronkowski escorting Kelly Clarkson out of the Billboard Music Awards and wish they were Kelly Clarkson?” another user joked.

“Kelly Clarkson is a national treasure. Just saying,” a third viewer said.

“Kelly Clarkson has sustained damn near a 15 year career. insane,” another user reflected.

The joke was a hit at the previous anecdote Clarkson revealed ahead of the show where she was once confused for a seat filler at the 2019 ACM Awards.

“The greatest thing by far that happened to me tonight was being asked to move because some guy thought I was a seat filler at the ACM’s tonight,” Clarkson shared on Twitter in early April. “Literally, it made my night because he was so serious, and I just politely said no hahaha!!”

Her opening monologue also featured a nod at Clarkson’s American Idol past, when she ran into Paula Abdul — also set to perform during the show — when at the end of the medley, Gronkowski returned to “kick” Clarkson out of the venue.

At that moment, Clarkson saw Abdul sitting close to the front and begged her to vouch her since she “discovered” so many years ago. Abdul seemed to be in on the joke when she pretended she didn’t remember the singer, leading to her being carried out by the football player.