Kelly Clarkson And Avril Lavigne Once Had A Bizarre Scuffle

Kelly Clarkson is probably not the first personality that comes to mind when debating the biggest celebrity feuds. Since winning "American Idol" in 2002, Clarkson's road to superstardom has been refreshingly light on mugshots, PR apologies, and general negativity. Fortunately, Clarkson's lovable personality and impressive three-octave range have created more than enough buzz to keep her relevant. With that said, Clarkson has experienced a few bumps along the way, which is to be expected for any imperfect person.

For instance, Clarkson once ruffled feathers when she seemingly shaded Miley Cyrus's historic — and risqué — 2013 VMA Awards performance. And the year before, Clarkson called out the British tabloid, The Mirror, claiming that the publication had misquoted her. "Just to clear up the absolutely wrong so-called quotes from me, I have never had anorexia nor did I ever say 'no-one should be as famous as me,'" Clarkson said in her since-deleted Who Say account (via NME). And while none of these minor blemishes rival the most memorable and disturbing celebrity scandals in history, Clarkson was once involved in a bizarre, seemingly one-sided beef with rocker Avril Lavigne — and it appears to have involved an elbow or two.

Today, Kelly Clarkson is arguably regarded as one of the best singers of the early 00s. However, it took Clarkson a long time to find her footing among her musical peers. When praising Jennifer Love Hewitt for being kind to her during "Idol," Clarkson shared a troubling anecdote about the encounter: "And it was right when like the final three I think of 'Idol,' and we were just so slammed and everything was happening like in a whirlwind and people like were really mean to us because we're from a talent show and it was the first season," Clarkson shared on her titular talk show. 

Case in point? Back in 2002, Clarkson presented Avril Lavigne with the award for best new artist at the Video Music Awards. And while Clarkson seemed excited to greet the "Sk8er Boi" singer, Lavigne refused to hug Clarkson and even appeared to elbow her, though not everyone agrees with this consensus. However, Clarkson confirmed the widespread discussion over the clip during an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show" in 2017. "It was [Avril]," Clarkson revealed. "But I will say this: Years later, she saw me, and she said, 'Oh my gosh, I don't know, people keep saying I elbowed you in the face, and I'm so sorry!" Clarkson added, "She did it, but I don't know if she felt bad about it. Or, like, she didn't mean to do it or what. But it felt purposeful."

From the looks of it, Kelly Clarkson and Avril Lavigne are on much better terms today. And given that Lavigne penned one of Clarkson's biggest hits, "Breakaway," we'd say the supposed feud simmered out long ago. However, that being said, settling squabbles and becoming cordial are two different things. But recent years have proven that things are A-Okay between the two stars. 

Lavigne only had nice things to say about Clarkson when discussing her inspiration for writing "Breakaway" in 2022. "Have you ever wanted to know the meaning behind Kelly's song 'Breakaway?'" asked Lavigne during an appearance on Clarkson's show. "I wrote this song and recorded it. I did not use it. It went to Kelly, and she slayed," Lavigne continued. She also praised Clarkson for doing "an amazing job on the song." Clarkson has also returned the love in recent years. In 2020, Clarkson covered Lavigne's 2002 hit "I'm With You" during one of her infamous "Kellyoke" sessions. Ahh, it's always refreshing to see our favorite celebrities bury the hatchet.