Kelly Clarkson recently shared a funny and heartfelt childhood memory during a Q&A session on the June 12 episode of her daytime talk show. While chatting with audience members, the 43-year-old singer and host was asked about her favorite summer vacation as a kid.
Her candid reply took an unexpected and amusing turn.
“Oh, we were poor. We didn’t do vacations,” Clarkson said with a laugh. “We, you know, went and played in the backyard.”
But the real surprise came when she described a creative solution her mom came up with to make it seem like they’d traveled far and wide.
Clarkson explained, “So well, one thing that is funny, though, is our mother would take my school picture and she would cut it out and then she would post me in like the desert. She would paste me, she would glue me onto like a desert scene or in the mountains or the Swiss Alps. Oh, she’s on a grassy knoll.”
She continued, laughing, “Like, you know, she would just post me somewhere as if, I guess, we had gone [there]. You’re welcome, Mom. And it was like an artsy thing I think she did, too. But also, yeah, we don’t have vacation pics.”
Clarkson pointed out that not every family can afford a summer getaway, adding, “I don’t think everybody can afford to vacation.” Turning to the audience member who originally asked the question, she said, “How do you afford a vacation with two sets of twins?”
The woman responded with a laugh, “I’m going to be posting pictures of them at the Swiss Alps.”
“You should take the advice,” Clarkson replied playfully. “You can go anywhere really. You just post yourself there, you glue yourself there.” She wrapped up the conversation by adding, “I don’t know, it was really funny. I’m glad you brought that up so I can embarrass my mother and show the world her artistic endeavors.”
It was a lighthearted moment that resonated with many — a simple memory filled with humor, creativity, and a reminder that not all meaningful moments come with a price tag.
