Broadway icon Lea Salonga leads applause for Kelly Clarkson’s final ‘Kellyoke’

Broadway star praises Clarkson’s emotional farewell performance of Oscar-winning hit song Golden.

Broadway icon Lea Salonga had a short but powerful reaction to Kelly Clarkson’s rendition of “Golden,” giving the singer and television host a memorable nod as she wrapped up her long-running talk show.

Clarkson delivered “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters for the final edition of her popular “Kellyoke” segment, performing the hit alongside her band, My Band Y’all. She also included the song’s original Korean lyrics, adding an extra touch to the farewell performance.

The emotional finale came during the final taping of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” on Monday, marking the end of the program after seven seasons.

The performance quickly caught the attention of viewers around the world, including Salonga, who took to the comments section of Clarkson’s performance to express her amazement.

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?????” Salonga wrote, followed by several fire emojis.

Her reaction was quickly embraced by Filipino fans and other netizens, with many echoing the Broadway star’s approval of Clarkson’s performance.

“Yes, Lea Salonga approved,” one netizen commented.

According to the official YouTube page of “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” “Golden” has become the most requested cover song Clarkson has performed, making her decision to feature it in her final “Kellyoke” especially fitting.

The farewell performance also came as Clarkson officially closes a significant chapter in her television career. In February, Clarkson and NBCUniversal announced that “The Kelly Clarkson Show” would conclude with its seventh season, with production continuing as planned and episodes airing through the fall.

Clarkson later opened up about how difficult the decision was, explaining that changes in her family life played a major role in her choice to step away from the daily demands of hosting the show.

“Well, I think everybody probably gets the timing, but … yeah, our family life, the dynamic changed a bit and it has changed for a minute now,” Clarkson said in an interview with NBC’s “Today.”

“I think it’s just you’ve got kids, we’ve all got kids, right? it’s one of those things when you kind of start seeing life as how precious it is, too.”

While the talk show may be ending, Clarkson’s final “Kellyoke” gave audiences one more standout musical moment and this time, it came with an unexpected stamp of approval from one of the Philippines’ most celebrated international performers.

“Golden” has also become a major global hit in its own right. The song, featured in “KPop Demon Hunters,” made history earlier this year after becoming the first K-pop song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

The award was credited to EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon and Teddy Park for the song’s music and lyrics.

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