Kelly Clarkson, the first talent contestant to win the crowing title of "American Idol" in 2002, has recently become engaged to boyfriend Brandon Blackstock amid rumors of her sexual orientation. The rumors have become so widely accepted, Clarkson recently spoke out about the allegations, confirming that she is straight.
On Friday, the Huffington Post reported that Clarkson told Cosmopolitan magazine in a February 2013 interview that while she has the utmost respect for her gay friends, it's "just not my thing".
Clarkson, who has been addressing the rumors of her sexuality for several years now, thinks she knows how the rumors got started:
People think, 'Oh, she's been single for too long. That's kind of an insult to the gay community. Being single doesn't mean you're gay. But I'm never insulted by it, obviously. I mean, I get hit on by the hottest girls ever. Oh, my god, if I were a lesbian, I would be so in luck. But it's just not my thing.
Clarkson started dating her current fiance back in February. Blackstock is the son of Clarkson's talent manager and is also the stepson of country crooning diva Reba McEntire. Clarkson says she's known Blackstock for years but kept her distance because he was married. After he divorced, Clarkson and Blackstock reconnected at the last Super Bowl in 2012 and started dating. The couple became engaged on Dec. 14, 2012.
In Sept. 2011, Clarkson told E! Online that the rumors had become so wide spread that it kept men from hitting on her. She said, "People keep saying I'm gay, and I'm not".
Another rumor that circulated was that Clarkson was an ardent Republican. Not true. Clarkson has publicly announced that she voted for Obama because of his position on gay rights. Before the election, Clarkson told the Daily Star, "I can’t support Romney’s policies as I have a lot of gay friends and I don’t think it’s fair they can’t get married".
"American Idol" season 12 is scheduled to premiere on Wed., Jan. 16, and Thurs., Jan. 17, 2013 at 8 p.m. EST on Fox.
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