As if Kelly Clarkson was not present in enough places in the entertainment world, the busy mom of four and multiplatinum singer-songwriter dropped in on “Today” for two big hours this morning, September 9. The first-ever “American Idol” winner is a frequent friend and visitor to the morning show and had a particularly personal subject in mind for today's visit. Her new talk show, “The Kelly Clarkson Show” launches today, in various markets, including NBC affiliates, so it was time for the host to offer the reasons why her slot in daytime TV will be different than so many others vying for loyal viewers.

Kelly doesn't have to worry about having faithful fans. Audiences have followed the girl from Burleson, Texas from the beginning, and love her tack for being completely honest, whether on camera or on stage. She joined the crew of the third-hour of “Today,” talking about how her first appearance that she could recall on the show was around 2004. At the time, the powerhouse singer loved the fashion trend of color streaks in the hair and was very proud of having her own. The topics moved to moms getting permission to post their kids’ photos on social media and Sheinelle Jones’ method of eating bananas.

Clarkson stressed that a song would start each of her shows will begin with a song, starting with Dolly Parton’s iconic working girl anthem, “Nine to Five,” because Kelly Clarkson has never had that typical kind of shift.

She also hopes that her minutes on the air can focus on unity over division, relating topics of real-life together with celebrity guests in a fresh way. Kelly has always had a very genuine way of laughing at herself.

The delightful drawl between friends

Any “Today” viewers missing the Texan drawl of Jenna Bush Hager while the mother of three is still away on maternity leave after the arrival of baby Hal got their fill of the sound of “y’all” (spoken just the right way) from Clarkson.

Hoda Kotb had to feel warmhearted hearing the vernacular phrase since the “Hoda & Jenna” tagline is “Let’s go y’all!” since Hager’s debut.

Dialect didn't create any issue for Kelly, seated next to Meredith Vieira, and her proper diction from Providence. The two shared heartfelt laughs over being fiercely competitive in games.

Kotb chimed in about sometimes getting “the eye of the tiger” from her basketball-playing days at Virginia Tech. Speaking of competitors, Clarkson snagged and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as one of her first guests, and even got him singing with her band.

Touching remembrances took over when Hoda Kotb described how Kelly Clarkson crafted the song to accompany her children's book, “I've Loved You Since Forever,” which she virtually sang on the spot. “That showed me who knew were, and I'll never forget it,” the anchor insisted. “It's beautiful,” Clarkson said of the book depicting animal families to correlate with book’s theme.

Clarkson reflected on her first interview with Hoda, during which she asked the questions everyone wanted to know but never dug hard.

Instead, Kelly recalled Kotb’s approach as being “such a caring, tactful way” with the freshly-famous star. “Not everybody does that.”

Since those days, Clarkson has been a “Today” guest host many times, and her snippet of saying, “I love y’all. Where else can I get puppies and wine?” is familiar to millions.

Kelly related another funny extreme of her competitive streak pushing “Hollywood Game Night” host Jane Lynch to her limits with sister contestant, Jennifer Garner.

Some tipsy tips

Kelly Clarkson sipped from her wine glass as her “Today” friends offered a few tips for the debut week of her talk show. The MSNBC “Morning Joe” and “Sunday Today” host, Willie Geist, simply kept suggesting selections from Clarkson's hit catalog, especially “Since You’ve Been Gone,” which he mentioned more than once.

The colloquial Al Roker didn't mention his suggestion on-air during the third-hour stretch, but the “Today” veteran did reveal a famous whiskey bottle from the wooden case on his desk, suggesting that some liquid courage can cure any case of nerves.

Andy Cohen of “Watch What Happens Live” suggested that the guests might be the ones who needed help loosening up. He lifted a bottle of tequila as a remedy.

In song or on the airwaves, Kelly Clarkson is seldom at a loss for words, and she has a gift for using her easy, down-home manner and drawl to endear herself to anyone.
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