Kelly Clarkson confronts Seth Rogen about the 'ahh, Kelly Clarkson' line in '40-Year-Old Virgin' (original) (raw)
"Literally the one thing people know me from is 'ahh, Kelly Clarkson!'" she told her guest.
Published on May 12, 2021 10:09AM EDT
Kelly Clarkson had a bone to pick with Seth Rogen when he appeared on her talk show this week.
"[Director] Judd Apatow told me that, and I want to know if it's true... it's your fault that people scream my name everywhere I go. 'Ahh, Kelly Clarkson!'" the singer questioned her guest. "I could literally do anything in the world, doesn't matter how many hits [or] what I do in life, I could save a family from drowning, fires... and literally the one thing people know me from is 'ahh, Kelly Clarkson!'"
"Ahh, Kelly Clarkson" is a line from Apatow's 2005 movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin, starring Steve Carell. Rogen appeared in the film and co-produced it, but he also came up with that line that has haunted the Voice coach for years. Apatow appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show in 2016 and told her as much.
"I'm terribly sorry, first of all. I owe you an apology," said Rogen, who was on to promote his new book, Yearbook. Though, it was all in good fun for Clarkson.
Carell shouts the famous line in the film as 40-year-old virgin Andy when he's getting his hairy chest waxed and is of unsound mind.
Part of Rogen's job, he said, was to write "alt jokes," or "alternate jokes." For that scene, in particular, he explained, "We don't always like to have profanities. Judd was like, 'You should write a list of jokes that are dirty jokes and a list of clean jokes.' And it was hard to write the clean jokes. I honestly think I was sitting on my couch writing the jokes and you came on television. I saw you and it was Kelly Clarkson!"
Rogen noted how the hard "k" sound "is known for being funny" and Clarkson's name is a triple whammy. He then showed a picture of his running list of jokes, both dirty and clean.
"I'm in between 'burger panties' and 'throbbing monkey tail.' I like it," Clarkson said.
The talk show host recalled first hearing the line during a preview for The 40-Year-Old Virgin that she saw in theaters. "We came in a little late... I thought somebody in the theater yelled my name," she said.
Watch the full clip from the interview above.
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