Kelly Clarkson Tackles Accusations She Shaded Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce's Romance

It's safe to say that Kelly Clarkson won't be joining the Swifties anytime soon. In fact, she's public enemy number one as far as Taylor Swift's fiercely loyal fanbase is concerned. The Tay Tay brigade claims Clarkson's been shading Swift's new romance with NFL star Travis Kelce, and they're not happy about it. To clear the air, the "American Idol" alum has gone on the defensive and tackled the allegations head-on.

Luckily, Clarkson's had plenty of experience in putting out controversy fires this year after battling a slew of allegations about her daytime TV talk show. In an interview with Rolling Stone, multiple former staffers accused "The Kelly Clarkson Show" of fostering a toxic workplace. They claimed they were underpaid and overworked and accused the show's executive producer, Alex Duda, of being "a monster."

Clarkson managed to escape any criticism herself, though. In fact, the former employees said she was "fantastic" and unaware of how staffers were being treated. "Kelly has no clue how unhappy her staff is," one said. Clarkson was quick to respond. "To find out that anyone is feeling unheard and or disrespected on this show is unacceptable," she wrote in an Instagram post. Clarkson insisted she is "committed to creating and maintaining a safe and healthy environment" and vowed to eliminate any issues. Ironically, Clarkson's now the one who's being slammed for being a mean girl. And she's been just as quick to nip those accusations in the bud, too.

Kelly Clarkson has discovered that if you want to stay out of the Swiftie crosshairs, it's best to avoid discussing Taylor Swift's dating life. Clarkson learned her lesson the hard way, though, after coming under fire for allegedly shading Swift's romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Per Billboard, Clarkson made the controversial comments during an interview with "Saturday Night Live" star Bowen Yang. She complained that everybody is obsessed with Swift and Kelce's relationship and seemingly blamed the couple for dumbing down football by turning it into a reality TV show.

"It's not hilarious how [talk about their relationship] is literally taking over the NFL for people that like watching sports now," Clarkson said. "It's like you're watching 'Housewives' while you're watching." She accused NFL commenters of "just talking about gossip things" during games. "And you're like, 'So, what about the play?'" Clarkson said, joking that Swift and Kelce are overshadowing the sport.

It wasn't long before reports surfaced claiming Clarkson had issues with Swift and Kelce. She clapped back on social media, accusing news outlets of spreading fake news. "Do not fall prey to clickbait, trash reporters twisting the facts again. I did not bash anyone's romance. I am pro-romance. Yay, romance," Clarkson wrote in an Instagram post. "Did y'all even watch what I actually said on my show?" she continued. "I just said I want to watch football when I tune in to watch football. Seems an appropriate request."

Despite Kelly Clarkson clarifying her comments about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's relationship, some Swifties are still disgruntled. "That's a little catty. It's not her fault," one wrote in response to Clarkson's Instagram post. "I'm pretty sure if she could have a private relationship, she would. Plus, I think you're a teensy bit jealous, which I don't understand." 

Meanwhile, Swift is keeping her shady side under wraps and instead choosing to stay calm and ignore any alleged disses. In keeping with her track record, Swift and Kelce's relationship appears to be progressing at warp speed. Also in keeping, Camp Swift is playing down reports that the affair is a true love story. "Taylor is very focused on work right now and hanging out with her girlfriends," an insider told People. However, going by all of the photos of the couple holding hands, Swift finds plenty of time in her packed schedule to hang out with Kelce as he adjusts to life in the mega-watt spotlight. 

"He is a little embarrassed at how much attention they are getting," a source told The Messenger. "But he has told her he would love to continue seeing her." According to the MailOnline, Kelce's wish came true over the weekend. As soon as Swift's plane landed in Kansas City on Sunday, she hot-hoofed it to his house for a quick bite from a local restaurant.