Janet Jackson Makes Stance On Kelly Clarkson Covering Her Hit Songs Clear

Kelly Clarkson's award-winning talk show "The Kelly Clarkson Show" has brought viewers many memorable moments. Clarkson is known as a lovable host, who has been a part of hilarious interview moments — like when she was brought to her knees laughing when she learned Gwneyth Paltrow's favorite song is "WAP."

Clarkson not only conducts engaging interviews on her daytime show, but the singer also performs other star's hits in a segment called Kellyoke. Clarkson's epic covers of popular songs like "7 Rings" and "Drivers License" have been smash successes with fans. In fact, Clarkson's professional growth since her "American Idol" days almost 20 years ago has led her to consider pulling a Taylor Swift and re-recording her music catalog. "It's because I feel my voice is stronger than it was when I was 19," she explained, per American Songwriter. "I feel like my range is bigger, and it is a different voice."

Clarkson's latest Kellyoke performance of Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done For Me Lately?" was another show-stopper — and Jackson herself reacted to the cover when she stopped by to chat with the host.

"I love the way you cover my music," Jackson told Clarkson on "The Kelly Clarkson Show." She continued, "I think you're an absolutely wonderful singer and I love to hear it, so thank you." Clarkson noted that her Kellyoke performance of "What Have You Done For Me Lately?" wasn't the first time she has covered Jackson's legendary catalog. In September 2021, Clarkson performed Jackson's hit "Escapade." Jackson approved of that cover too, as she retweeted a video of Clarkson's performance with the message: "Luv u!"

The talk show host revealed that Jackson also praised her behind the scenes for covering her music. "You not only tweeted me after 'Escapade,'" Clarkson said to Jackson, "... but you did something so nice and you sent me flowers and the little message was so sweet and I was having such a hard time, so thank you so much. You have no idea what it meant, so I just wanted to say thank you for that."

The singers went on to talk about Jackson's upcoming documentary during the interview. "Janet Jackson" is set to premiere on Lifetime and A&E on January 28, and will reveal many inside looks into the superstar's notoriously private life — including her relationship with her brother, Michael Jackson. "There were times when Mike used to tease me and call me names," Jackson revealed in the doc, per The New York Post. "He would laugh about it, and I'd laugh too, but then there was some­where down inside that it would hurt."