On May 20, 2018, superstar and American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson hosted the Billboard Music Awards. It was set to be a fun night, complete with an incredible medley of introductory songs performed by Clarkson and plenty of awards to be dished out to countless musicians in the room.
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However, Clarkson decided to use the short-notice “moment of silence” during the show to call for action. For reference, the previous Friday, 10 people were killed and a number of others were seriously injured in a school shooting that occurred at Santa Fe High School in Texas. The movers and shakers behind the Billboard Music Awards planned a moment of silence for those who were killed.
Kelly Clarkson Went Off-Script To Honor The Victims of the Santa Fe High School Shooting
Naturally, the tragedy affected Clarkson significantly. She was born in Texas, and even speaking about the tragedy was incredibly hard for her.
“Before we start tonight’s show, there’s something I’d like to say,” she said, tears in her eyes. “This is gonna be so hard.”
Instead of sticking to the script, Clarkson decided to forgo the planned moment of silence and instead call for action. The whole of her speech is worth hearing, and you can check out a video of the moment below.
“Once again, y’all, we’re grieving for more kids that have died for just no reason at all,” Kelly Clarkson said on stage. “And tonight they wanted me to say that obviously we want to pray for all the victims and their families. But they also wanted me to do a moment of silence, and I’m so sick of moments of silence! It’s not working!”
Clarkson went on to talk about the importance of talking about gun violence, and how “mamas and daddies should be able to send their kids to school, to church, to movie theaters, to clubs… You should be able to live your life without that kind of fear.”
“We need to do better!” Clarkson declared. “So instead of a moment of silence, I want to respect them and honor them. So let’s have a moment of action, a moment of change.”
After her speech, the night continued as planned. Big names like Taylor Swift and Janet Jackson scored awards. Despite the powerhouse performances and heartwarming acceptance speeches, Kelly Clarkson’s profound speech ahead of the festivities affected plenty of people in the audience, as well as viewers at home.
Photo by Paul Drinkwater/NBCU via Getty Images
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