The Kelly Clarkson Show was the origin of some major controversy and drama surrounding a popular TikTok community known as BookTok.
Grammy-winning singer Kelly Clarkson is perhaps best known these days for her talk show on NBC, which she's hosted since September 2019.
Along with celebrities promoting their latest ventures with Clarkson, she is known for sharing stories of both everyday Americans and sometimes people who go viral on social media.
A more recent topic that came across Clarkson's news stream was BookTok, a sub-community on TikTok centered on books and literature. Creators' videos include reviews and discussions about books they read, mostly coming from genres like young adult fiction, young adult fantasy, and romance.
What Happened on The Kelly Clarkson Show Recently?
Season 6, Episode 13 of The Kelly Clarkson Show, which aired on October 9, concluded with Clarkson holding a two-minute-long interview with Kianna Lewis.
Labeled online by some as the "Queen of BookTok," Lewis boasts 1.6 million followers on her TikTok page, which became popular from her enthusiastic reactions to literary works.
Clarkson spoke to Lewis about how she came across BookTok online, which she did when she felt she had to "find some type of hobby" after moving to a new city. Soon after, she had a life-changing experience with a romance book and wanted to use her high-energy reactions to share her thoughts with people:
"Well, honestly, I stumbled into BookTok! I had just moved to a new city, I was broke, had no friends. So I was like 'You know what, I need to find some type of hobby.' I discovered BookTok because I finally picked up a romance book and I just remember screaming and being so giddy over the fictional characters, and I went to BookTok, and…everyone was just so calm, like, 'This is a great book.' I’m a very high-energy person, so I wanted to create videos that replicate how I feel as a reader. Sometimes, I’m crying, as you can see from my videos. Sometimes, I’m energetic, I’m throwing books. And sometimes, I’m just, like, screaming and distraught over a book."
Lewis' TikTok videos were noticed by the Seattle Kraken from the National Hockey League (NHL), who acknowledged her passion for players on the team who were featured in sports romance novels. Her passion for the characters in the books extended to the real athletes, who were either in the books or used as inspiration for book characters.
After she became more popular from that exposure, which started in early 2023 alongside the Kraken's first playoff run, she started to see criticism and backlash for her videos.
Lewis' videos often center on her attraction to fictional characters from books. However, the issues people have with her stem from the sources of some of those characters' origins, many of which were based on real people.
Felicia Wennberg, wife of former Kraken center Alexander Wennberg, spoke out about being uncomfortable with Lewis' content, raising concerns about players being objectified and harassed for their resemblance to the book characters.
She noted the societal double standard as well, feeling there would have been more outrage if it were a man commenting on women rather than a woman commenting on men.
These issues have been reflected in the greater BookTok community as well. More recently, TikTok users took issue with Lewis being invited onto Kelly Clarkson's show due to her videos being deemed problematic.
Amidst the backlash, Lewis posted a response on her TikTok page, attempting to distance herself from the "Queen of BookTok" nickname.
She noted that she had not used that name in two years, claiming the only thing she wants to be is "this generation's Oprah Winfrey:"
"First of all, if you know me or if you’ve ever met me, the only thing I call myself aside from my actual government name, I always said since I was a kid, I want to be this generation’s Oprah Winfrey. I wanna be the mini Oprah Winfrey, now that has always come out of my mouth."
The outrage she has seen from people over this nickname shocked her, and she defended the BookTok community for being a powerful group that changes lives in the literary world.
Moving forward in the video, she made it clear that she does not think of herself as a "queen" and a "villain character," noting that she makes her videos and tries to live a normal life.
"But to see people say ‘Oh, she thinks she’s the queen…’ First of all, I think I’m Kierra ‘Bad Bitch’ Lewis. I think whatever I think and whatever y’all believe are two different things. Y’all love to point me out as this villain character when, time and time again, you see from my videos, I make my videos, I go about my life. I cry, scream, yes, for some, that might be too much, for some, that might be not enough. I’ve never been one to use my platform, since the beginning, to belittle, to speak down on, to spew hate on anyone."
The Kelly Clarkson Show airs on weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on NBC.
