Celebrity Exes
Did ‘American Idol’s Justin Guarini & Kelly Clarkson Ever Date? Relationship History Explained
Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini were the winner and runner-up of American Idol Season 1, respectively, but did they ever have a romantic relationship? After the show, they played love interests in the 2003 film From Justin to Kelly, sparking speculation that they were more than friends in real life as well.
Both singers have spoken about their history and confirmed that, yes, they were briefly involved. Clarkson first addressed the rumors during an interview on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in 2015.
“We did date a little bit,” she said. “I think any two people who are thrown together that much would. Guy, girl … just saying … ‘Timeless,’ put that song on From Justin to Kelly. You can’t fight it!”
The relationship took place after the pair’s time on American Idol in 2002. “I feel like we weren’t dating during [From Justin to Kelly], but I feel like maybe we did,” Clarkson shared, admitting she was confused about the timeline. She discussed the romance again while appearing on the Las Culturistas podcast in 2023.
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“It was, like, months, but it was just like … and I think we’d probably both say this … we were just around each other all the time,” she explained. “We’re here, you’re here, I’m here, and we’re experiencing something very intense. It wasn’t like I won, and I was the only one in the promo. Justin and I went around everywhere [together].”
Guarini was a bit more coy about the relationship rumors when he spoke about Clarkson in a 2012 interview with Yahoo Music. “Yeah, there was a rumor, definitely,” he began. “We’ve just always been such good friends. Um, man, it was weird. She was like my sister on the show, and then you know, we made a movie together. I’d say, we had a good time. Yeah.”
The two reunited when Guarini was a guest on Clarkson’s talk show in 2023. “We got to hang out so much, and I can tell you this, if you ever have the chance to see Kelly, and she ever says, ‘Hey, do you want to play a card game?’ Don’t,” Guarini shared. While reminiscing on their time backstage at Idol, he added, “We would hang out, and we would play speed because there were these huge swaths of time. And we would play speed, and I think I may have won twice in the hundred times that we played together.”
