Kelly Clarkson has banned her two children from watching From Justin to Kelly, the 2003 musical comedy she made after winning the first season of American Idol.
The singer delivered the rule during her Aug. 15 concert in Las Vegas after spotting a fan wearing a homemade shirt inspired by the movie. Clarkson jokingly introduced the film as an Oscar-worthy project before explaining her participation in “two words: contractually obligated.”
She then gave the movie an even shorter review: “It’s s—.” Clarkson said daughter River Rose, 12, and son Remington, 10, are not allowed to watch it, even though their nanny told her she loved the film when it came out.
The spring-break musical paired Clarkson with American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini less than a year after the show’s first finale. More than two decades later, Clarkson can joke about the experience, but her objections to the movie began before filming and continued long after its release.
Winning ‘American Idol’ Came With a Movie Clarkson Did Not Want
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During the concert exchange, captured in a video published by Us Weekly, Clarkson said she had not realized that winning American Idol also meant starring in a movie.
As she said the word “obligated,” Clarkson raised her middle finger and joked about not reading the fine print. She recalled thinking that winning the competition suddenly did not feel much like winning once she learned a film was part of the deal.
When a concertgoer defended From Justin to Kelly, Clarkson teased that the fan was watching it through “loving eyes” before delivering her own blunt assessment.
“My kids, I’ve banned them from watching,” Clarkson said. She then joked that she judged her nanny for admitting she loved the movie when it came out before immediately assuring her that she was kidding.
Clarkson Tried to Escape the Film Before Cameras Rolled
Clarkson’s latest comments are consistent with what she has said about the movie for years. In a 2019 interview with the Los Angeles Times, she called its production “a very miserable time of my life” and said she cried and consulted multiple lawyers but could not escape the contractual obligation.
Her concern was that the movie could damage the singing career she had pursued through American Idol. Clarkson said she pushed for “Miss Independent” to be released before the film and later credited the single’s success with helping her move past the project.
When TIME asked her in 2015 when she planned to tell her then-infant daughter River about the movie, Clarkson answered, “Never! We don’t have to show her that!” When asked whether she planned simply to pretend the movie did not exist, Clarkson said that was already what she did and added that she wanted it to “go away.”
She has occasionally been willing to revisit it for a joke. During a 2015 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Clarkson and Andy Cohen reenacted a scene originally performed by Clarkson and Guarini.
‘From Justin to Kelly’ Earned Less Than $5 Million in Theaters
Directed by Robert Iscove, From Justin to Kelly follows two young people who meet and fall for each other during spring break in Fort Lauderdale. The 81-minute musical opened June 20, 2003, with 20th Century Fox distributing the film roughly nine months after Clarkson won American Idol.
The movie opened with approximately $2.7 million from 2,001 theaters and ultimately earned $4,928,883 domestically against a reported $12 million production budget, according to Box Office Mojo. Critical reception was equally unforgiving. Rotten Tomatoes currently gives the movie an 8% Tomatometer score based on 63 reviews.
Clarkson nevertheless identified parts of the experience she remembers fondly during her latest Las Vegas story. She said she enjoyed the dancing and particularly valued working on the music with musician and producer Tommy Sims. “The music part, that was fun,” Clarkson said. “See? You gotta find the positive.”