Kelly Clarkson Opens Up About ‘Cruel’ Comments on Her Body

Kelly Clarkson is back with a new musical chapter, beginning with new single “Where Have You Been.” It’s a sultry love song with an even sultrier music video, featuring Clarkson performing onstage in a gauzy, sparkling black dress with a plunging neckline.

That’s a fairly sexy outfit choice for Clarkson, whose outfits usually err on the conservative side.

But in a new interview on Today With Jenna & Friends, the singer explains that her sexy music video was all about fitting the song’s subject matter — and finding freedom from earlier points in her career, when she says some people on her team were “cruel” about the way she looked.

“In all honestly, I’ve had a lot of people in my career tell me — I mean, be very cruel,” Clarkson admits.

“And say, ‘Oh, you look slutty if you wear this,'” she continues. “‘You look…’Da da da’ if you wear this. Oh, I’ve had people be very cruel. And so, it’s just like, I’ve never been able to be what I want for that moment, for that song, what that character calls for. Because they’re all different characters, right?”

She explained, “This was a very sexy moment. It’s a song about that intimate moment where you finally go, ‘Wow. I just found the unicorn situation, and I did not know that was on the bingo card for my life.'”

Serious stuff aside, Clarkson also cracked a joke about how her recent weight loss journey made her want to put her new physique front and center for this video.

“Look, I lost some weight, and I was like, ‘You put me in something fitting. ‘Cause I don’t know how long this will last,'” she quipped.

Clarkson released “Where Have You Been” earlier this month.

Read More: Kelly Clarkson Misses Another Talk Show Episode as Questions Mount

The singer spoke about her kids, her Las Vegas residency and more during her time on Today, but she didn’t address her extended absence from her talk show earlier this year.

Clarkson still hasn’t officially told fans what caused her to miss 11 episodes of The Kelly Clarkson Show across March and April, though numerous anonymous sources have alluded to a “family emergency,” with one report claiming that the singer’s ex-husband Brandon Blackstock has been battling an illness.

How Many Episodes of Her Show Has Kelly Clarkson Missed?

Clarkson’s first absence from The Kelly Clarkson Show was on March 3, when actor Simu Liu filled in for her. She returned for the following two episodes, leading many to believe it was just a one-off event.

The singer neglected to inform the audience as to why she wasn’t present at that time, too.

Once again, Clarkson was missing form her chair on March 6, and it would be several days before she returned. The show featured a list of guest hosts instead.

Clarkson missed 10 episodes between March 3 and April 1. An absence on April 21 marks her 11th.

Why Did Kelly Clarkson Miss So Many Episodes of Her Show?

That’s the big question. Clarkson has yet to directly address what kept her away from work, though a mid-March report from Entertainment Tonight quoted a source who said she was away from the show due to a “family emergency.”

Some fans also thought she might be hinting at the reason behind the break during the 1,000th-episode special of The Kelly Clarkson Show, during a monologue that found her reminiscing over the many segments and games in which the cast and audience have “competed together.”

She then added, “I’ve lost alone, a lot,” reassuring the audience, “it’s okay.”

It could’ve just been self-deprecating humor, but given the context — and Clarkson’s history of being open about personal struggles — some viewers thought she might be alluding to something more going on in her personal life.

An unnamed source close to The Kelly Clarkson Show recently told ET Online that the singer was “back to herself” after her absences in March, and “all seems relatively back to normal.”

They dismissed a rumor that came via another anonymous source who spoke to the Daily Mail, saying Clarkson was formerly “accessible” and chatty, but her tone had changed, causing a “weird vibe” onset and the crew to walk “on eggshells” around the star.

A report from earlier in April claimed that Clarkson might be hoping to permanently leave her talk show, and that the network was eager to keep her on.