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Kelly Clarkson Finds Out Meghan Markle Voted for Her When She Won ‘American Idol’ in 2002

The Duchess of Sussex relayed the information to the country music singer through a ‘Suits’ costar.

Ananya Panchal

Kelly Clarkson and Meghan Markle

Kelly Clarkson and Meghan Markle.

It turns out that the Duchess of Sussex is a Kelly Clarkson fan. Not only that, she’s been rooting for the country music star ever since she first rose to fame on the debut season of American Idol. Meghan Markle even voted for the singer, who ended up winning the reality competition series in 2002. 

The 42-year-old actress starred on legal drama Suits alongside Abigail Spencer, and when Spencer and her current Extended Family costar Donald Faison appeared on a recent episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, she passed along a message from the Duchess.

“Meg says hello and that she loves you and that she voted for you on American Idol,” Spencer shared.

“It worked!” Clarkson jokingly chimed in response. The 41-year-old musician, who has three Grammy Awards, skyrocketed in popularity following her time on the show. In 2003, she released her debut album, Thankful, with RCA Records, the label she secured a deal with through her American Idol win. 

“[Markle] was just having dinner with Michael Bublé, who said you are the greatest singer on earth. This was unsolicited. She did not know I was coming on here. We were just chatting and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to see Kelly next week,’ and she's like, ‘I have a message,’” Spencer recalled.

The two Suits actresses were close for several years while on the show’s set. Spencer even attended the royal wedding in London in May 2018, and was also present at the Duchess’s baby shower in New York City the following year.

“It was just something between us,” Spencer gushed about her dear friend. “Our friendship really developed during that time [on the show], and deepened. She’s an incredible person. We had an immediate something, you know?”

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Ananya Panchal
ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit, where she covers fashion, beauty, pop culture and the internet’s favorite personalities and trends. She joined the brand in 2022 after roles at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. Panchal loves to write about fashion in all its forms—from standout runway moments and evolving street style to the best accessories to elevate each season’s wardrobe (she rarely goes anywhere without a stack of jewelry and a coffee in hand). A self-proclaimed beauty fanatic, she’s always on the hunt for must-have products and loves breaking down viral trends. Her favorite series at the moment is spotlighting female founders and the stories behind the brands they’ve built—especially those shaping the future of fashion, wellness and tech. She is based between New York City and San Francisco and, when she’s not writing, can be found rewatching One Tree Hill, playing sudoku, trying new restaurants or ranking her favorite Disney Channel Original Movies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism with a minor in criminal justice from Boston University.

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