Kelly Clarkson Receives a Flirty Offer from American Idol Alum Taylor Hicks amid Her Missing Car Prize from Winning the Show

Hicks is making his intentions known for the talk show host and songstress

Taylor Hicks; Kelly Clarkson.Credit : 

Paul Archuleta/Getty; Kevin Mazur/Getty

Taylor Hicks isn’t giving Kelly Clarkson the runaround.

The 49-year-old American Idol alum, who took the crown in season 5 of the hit series, is letting it be known that he’s interested in the show’s inaugural winner.

Hicks recently shared a message for Clarkson, 43, after the “Since U Been Gone” singer revealed that she never received the car she was told would be part of her grand prize for winning season 1 in 2002.

Kelly Clarkson on THE KELLY CLARKSON SHOW.Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty

“I am a big fan of Kelly Clarkson and consider her one of the most incredible voices to emerge from American Idol,” Hicks told Page Six.

He then proceeded to flirtatiously add, “I would be more than happy to help her find a new Mustang,” according to the outlet.

Clarkson’s confession about her missing car came on the Tuesday, March 10 episode of her self-titled daytime talk show while chatting with her guests, Traitors season 4 winner Rob Rausch and Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe.

After Rausch, 27, claimed he never received his $220,800 prize, Clarkson replied, “You know what? I relate to this so hardcore.”

“I literally was on the show, and they were like, ‘Oh, you win a million dollars’ or whatever. No, you didn’t. It was, like, a million dollars worth of investment in you,” she continued.

Clarkson added, at the time of winning American Idol, she really did need a new ride because the one she had was “bashed in” and not financially feasible. But in the end, she “did not get a car.”

As for Hicks, he told PEOPLE in February 2023, “I was very fortunate to be on that show at that time.”

The “Soul Thing” singer, who appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show in the summer of 2023, isn’t publicly linked to anyone romantically, but the “Stronger” singer has opened up about her outlook on love.

Taylor Hicks; Kelly Clarkson.Erika Goldring/Getty; Noam Galai/Getty

In January 2024, Clarkson spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about how she never really wanted to get married.

“I love my kids,” she told PEOPLE. “I have my family and friends, I have my jobs. It’s all these beautiful things that are working really well.”

Clarkson shares two children — daughter River, 11, and son Remington “Remy,” 9 — with her late ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock.

“I’ve always known that love is hard,” Clarkson said at the time. “For me, love has always come with this elephant in the room of sadness. I’ve known love is not forever. I don’t mean that to sound depressing, but I think we put a lot of pressure on that word. Sometimes love is looking at someone and going, ‘This is not good for you. This is not good for me.’ That’s a hard thing to face. But when you do, I think you grow.”

When asked about dating, in her 2024 interview with PEOPLE, she replied, “For my kids, I definitely would never even think about it until they’re out of my house.”