Billboard Music Awards Host Kelly Clarkson Pokes Fun at ACM Awards Seat Filler Mishap as She Performs Epic Medley

Kelly Clarkson returned for her second year as host of the Billboard Music Awards

Kelly Clarkson kicked off the 2019 Billboard Music Awards with an epic medley — but not before poking some fun at herself.

As the singer sat next to Terry Crews in the audience of the show for her opening monologue as host, a security guard (played by Rob Gronkowski) asked her to move so that Florida Georgia Line‘s Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard could have the seats — which seemed to be a reference to how she was recently mistaken for a seat filler at the Academy of Country Music Awards in early April.

“The greatest thing by far that happened to me tonight was being asked to move because some guy thought I was a seat filler at the ACMs tonight #CantWinEmAll,” Clarkson, 37, wrote in the tweet at the time. “Literally, it made my night because he was so serious, and I just politely said no hahaha!!”

During her BBMAs opening monologue, Clarkson attempted to prove to the security guard that she was really herself by belting out a medley of songs nominated at this year’s show, including Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You,” Maren Morris and Zedd‘s “The Middle,” Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin’s collab “I Like It” and more.

2019 Billboard Music Awards - Arrivals
Frazer Harrison/Getty

At the end of the performance, Clarkson asked Paula Abdul — who was a judge on the inauragal season of American Idol that Clarkson won — to back her up, but it was to no avail. In response, Clarkson said, “You discovered me!”

Be sure to check out PEOPLE’s Billboard Music Awards coverage to get the latest news on music’s big night.

Ahead of hosting the awards, Clarkson told PEOPLE that she credits Idol for making her comfortable with doing hosting gigs like this.

“Because my whole career started on live, national television, I think I have an odd sense of being comfortable in that environment,” she said, before jokingly adding, “That probably says something psychologically about me, but I think because of how I came in the industry nothing really throws me, generally. I should really knock on some wood.”

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The 2019 Billboard Music Awards are broadcasting live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

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