Kelly Clarkson Video on Being Mistaken for a Seat Filler Resurfaces: 'I'm Not Gonna Be the A**hole'

Fans defending Kelly Clarkson have gone back to the past to show just how humble the singer can be. A resurfaced 2023 video shows Clarkson recounting how she was once mistaken for a seat filler at the 2019 Academy of Country Music Awards.

'I just won an award,' Clarkson began, telling guests Nikki Glaser and Benjamin Bratt on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show' in January 2023. 'And I was sitting there and this person comes up to me and was like: "Sorry, we need you to move so the celebrities can sit down," because they thought I was a seat filler.'

Funny Moment

Clarkson laughed as she remembered the incident. Glaser was flabbergasted, exclaiming, 'No!' Bratt, meanwhile, laughed along.

The powerhouse vocalist also shared that the incident happened when she was no longer at the beginning of her career. She said that someone who knew her from her American Idol days saved her from the embarrassment.

Clarkson said she was ready to leave her seat because she did not want to use the infamous line. 'I'm not gonna be the asshole that's like, "Do you know who I am?" ...so, I was just like, "Oh." And I literally think I was like, "Okay."'

She also tweeted about the incident in 2019: '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 🤣😂 #CantWinEmAll 💁🏼‍♀️ literally, it made my night because he was so serious, and I just politely said no hahaha!!'

Brooklyn Incident Wasn't as Fun

The 2019 incident also made headlines. Clarkson did not win an award that night, but she performed twice, with Dan + Shay and Jason Aldean. She was nominated for Music Event of the Year with Dan + Shay, but Dierks Bentley and Brothers Osborne won the category.

While Clarkson laughed off the seat-filler incident in 2019, her recent interaction with staff at a small business in Brooklyn was not as funny. 'If she's actually calling out a store publicly, she must've been livid,' an insider told Page Six. 'You know something must have really bothered her because that's just not who she is.'

Fans have drawn a similar conclusion. They believe her reaction to being mistaken for a seat filler shows that she does not have an inflated ego about her celebrity status. However, Clarkson said her interaction with an Art of Play employee left her feeling dismissed.

'Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn't afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me,' she tweeted about the incident on Saturday.

Art of Play's Reply

The store took to Instagram to explain that Clarkson wanted to purchase its official mascot, Molly, which is a permanent fixture on the wall. According to the store, Clarkson was told that the item was not for sale.

'Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store. It's been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity,' Art of Play said, describing how the incident played out in public.