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

Kelly Clarkson recalled a 2019 moment when she was mistaken for a seat filler at the Academy of Country Music Awards, and a resurfaced 2023 clip has brought the story back. Appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Clarkson said she had just won an award when someone approached and told her to move so celebrities could sit. She laughed, noting she was no longer at the start of her career and was saved from embarrassment by someone who knew her from American Idol days. She added she avoided an awkward confrontation, saying she was ready to go rather than use the “do you know who I am?” line. In 2019 she later tweeted about it. More recently, she faced less humorous backlash after a Brooklyn store interaction where, according to her, staff treated her as if she couldn’t afford items; the store said she wanted to buy its mascot Molly.