Queen Ally
Clarkson shares that the hit 90s song was “tragically inspired by the death of a gay teenager who was bullied”
Kelly Clarkson is lending her voice to celebrate the LGBTQ community and discourage discrimination on Spirit Day. On Thursday, during her beloved “Kellyoke” segment of her talk show, Clarkson sang Third Eye Blind’s “Jumper.”
After belting the track’s lyrics while backed by her My Band Y’all, Clarkson explained the significance of the poignant 1997 rock song.
“The song was tragically inspired by the death of a gay teenager who was bullied,” she explained after the performance. “It’s been celebrated for its message of support for the LGBTQ+ community, which is why we chose it for today. Because today is Spirit Day.”
Sharing that the band and the audience were all wearing purple to commemorate the special occasion, Clarkson added, “Spirit Day was created to show support for LGBTQ+ youth and speak out against bullying.”
Clarkson has long been an advocate for LGBTQ people. Aside from surprising a gay couple with an anniversary trip to London on her show earlier this year, she featured same-sex couples in her 2013 “Tie It Up” video.
Responding to a homophobic tweet back in 2018, she wrote, “I almost didn’t respond 2 this because hate doesn’t deserve a spotlight but u know what, truth does, & the truth is that God is Love, & Love shared between two people should be praised not condemned in my personal opinion. I love u 2 although we see the world/love differently.”
Recently, Clarkson covered fan favorite tracks such as Olivia Rodrigo’s “Traitor,” Stephen Sondheim’s “Losing My Mind,” and her own song “Breakaway” with Sam Smith.