Day after day, Kelly Clarkson delivers flawless covers of hit songs, past and present as part of The Kelly Clarkson Show's Kellyoke segments. These videos are truly daily highlights! And on Tuesday, Dec. 3 Kel did something extraordinary: She covered "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" the theme song from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Yep, the tears are here, both happy and sad. As if the soulful cover of the classic song wasn't enough, Kelly's rendition was accompanied with an interpretive dance of a shadow figure Mr. Rogers. Sure, that sentence might sound creepy, but you have to see—and hear—it for yourself below.
The occasion for Kelly's cover? Tom Hanks, the star of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, is her guest for the December 3 show. Hanks portrays Fred Rogers in the flick about Mr. Rogers' relationship with a journalist assigned to profile him in the 1990s. The cast of the movie also includes Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson and Chris Cooper.
The Kelly Clarkson Show always opens with The Voice coach singing a different song as part of Kellyoke. She's covered everybody from Cher to Lizzo. Jason Halbert, Kelly's music director, told Vulture the idea for Kellyoke came from something similar they do on tour.
"I think because of how she started on Idol, covering so many great songs on the show, when I first started with her, I used to get tons of emails from fans requesting that she cover certain songs. So I brought her the idea of, ‘Why don't we do a fan request every day?' She loved the idea, and I think we've been doing it since almost the very beginning. Whenever they were coming up with a concept for the show, that sort of morphed into Kellyoke," he said.
The Kelly Clarkson Show has already been renewed for a second season.
"The Kelly Clarkson Show is connecting with viewers in a unique way and we are so happy to build on that momentum, bringing Kelly's brand of humor, heart, and, of course, the incredible Kellyoke, to stations for a second season," Tracie Wilson, executive vice president of creative affairs for NBCUniversal Television Distribution, said in a statement. "It is a privilege to be in business with Kelly and our production team, led by Alex Duda, who have a clear creative vision and a talent for storytelling and creating quality entertainment that invites you in for a good time and leaves you feeling happy."
The Kelly Clarkson Show airs weekdays, check your local listings.