Back in December, Kelly Clarkson, 40, revealed that even though she has a busy schedule coaching on The Voice and hosting her own daytime television variety talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, she was selected to be the presenter for the 2023 NFL Honors. Airing on February 9, the NFL Honors is an annual awards presentation in the National Football League (NFL). Since 2022, the TV special is held on the Thursday before the Super Bowl, in the game’s host city. This year it will be held in Glendale, Arizona. The NFL describes the two-hour awards special as a way to highlight “the best players, performances, and plays from the 2022 NFL season.”
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Kelly Clarkson Announces That She Will Be Hosting The NFL Honors
When Clarkson was announced as the host for the NFL Honors on Dec. 16, she captioned her Instagram announcement, “Y’all! I’m so excited to announce that I’ll be hosting the 2023 @nfl Honors! I can’t wait to celebrate all of the best players and moments from the NFL season. [See it on TV] 9 PM ET / 8 PM CT on February 9th on @nbc, @peacocktv, and @nflnetwork.”
As soon as she shared the news on social media, Clarkson’s fans immediately expressed their excitement about the unique, and surprising, announcement. “@nfl, give this woman her own halftime show already. Kelly and Friends! Lol,” one person wrote in the comments section, while another commented, “Kelly Clarkson Super Bowl Halftime when???” Regular viewers of The Kelly Clarkson Show are fortunate enough to hear some of the singer’s live performances. Fans especially loved her recent duet with Dolly Parton.
Fan Reactions
“This is AMAZING!! You’re gonna kill it!!,” a different follower said on her announcement post with heart and hand clapping emojis, and another follower commented, “I love this! Especially knowing how you call everything ‘sportsball!!!'” “Two of my favorite things in one place?!,” another added, while another fan wrote, “This is the perfect pairing!” Clarkson also announced that she is preparing to release her tenth studio album. She says that the album, which is her “most personal record” covers the latest chapter in her life–including her recent divorce from Brandon Blackstock.
Kelly Clarkson will be the the first woman to ever host the National Football League (NFL) Honors. pic.twitter.com/x8fgBxktRD
— Kelly Stats (@KellyStats) December 16, 2022
Kelly Clarkson Is Set To Be The First Woman To Ever Host The Sports Awards Special
And, Clarkson’s hosting gig is set to make a major milestone in the special’s history. She’s the first woman to ever host the show since its inception in 2012. For its first three years, actor Alec Baldwin hosted the NFL Honors with other previous hosts including Steve Harvey, Seth Meyers, Conan O’Brien, Rob Riggle, and Keegan Michael-Key.
And how did the American Idol alum react to the request to host the primetime TV event? Clarkson says she wasn’t sure how to take it. “I had mixed feelings,” she told Access Daily about the NFL Honors. “I was like, ‘Now, wait, I’m not involved in sports ball whatsoever. ‘Shouldn’t you ask someone who’s involved in the sports community?'” The Kelly Clarkson Show fans know that the “Behind These Hazel Eyes” singer doesn’t have extensive knowledge of football. Clarkson even jokingly calls it, “sportsball,” as commenters pointed out in the post. Luckily, the singer got over her initial fears. She says she’s excited to be the first woman to host the NFL Honors.
Clarkson has plenty of experience hosting a show from The Kelly Clarkson Show, which is now in its fourth season, and her time as a coach on the singing competition show, The Voice. She is returning this season alongside fellow coaches Niall Horan, Chance the Rapper, and Blake Shelton. Shelton has been a coach every year since the first season of the reality show, but Season 23 will be his last.
