Kelly Clarkson Shares Why She Can’t Be Friends With Her Exes

Kelly Clarkson likes to make a clean breakaway from her exes.

In fact, the singer revealed why she prefers not to stay friends with her previous partners. 

"I just feel like it can get awkward," Kelly explained to guest Common on the Jan. 23 episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show. "It depends on who ended it or who it is. It's situational."

The rapper, on the other hand, had a very different point of view.

"I could definitely be friends with an ex," Common, who recently confirmed his romance with Jennifer Hudson, countered. "I've been friends with a lot of exes that I've had, and they've been long relationships. Because most of them have been pretty good."

But that's not to say the transition from lovers to friends is an easy process.

"I mean, we go through stuff at the beginning of the breakup," he continued, "but then once we come to our grounds, it's like, we good people, we cool people."

When Common, 51, asked if Kelly has ever stayed friends with one of her exes, the TV show host let out a long sigh before responding, "No."

"Here's the thing, I'm not not friends," the 41-year-old—who finalized her divorce from ex-husband Brandon Blackstock in 2022—clarified. "I only have a couple that I'm just like 'hard pass.'"

She added, "A couple of them are cool people, nothing wrong with them. If we ran into each other, we'd be totally friendly. But that's the difference."

The "Since U Been Gone" singer, who shares kids River Rose, 9, and Remington Alexander, 7, with the manager, has previously expressed how difficult working through a breakup can already be. 

Thankfully, Kelly, whose 2023 album, Chemistry, is about her split from Brandon, had music to lean on. 

"I cannot express how appreciative I feel for having that kind of healthy outlet," she told People Jan. 3. "Because the level of depression and things that come with divorce or grieving is extraordinarily hard. You feel alone, and it's just a blessing to be able to have that outlet for those emotions that are overwhelming."