Jason Momoa Duets Christmas Songs with Kelly Clarkson (Sort Of)
Jason Momoa attends a special event to celebrate Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom at Battersea Power station on December 12, 2023 in London, England. Kelly Clarkson performs during the 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Rockefeller Center on November 29, 2023 in New York City.
Jason Momoa got in the holiday spirit on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Monday (December 18). He participated in a festive rendition of the talk show‘s popular game segment, “Sing That Name That Tune.” The game is similar to the popular game “Name That Tune.” The object is for the players to identify the song the band is playing. They get points for singing as much of the song correctly as they can. And also for the level of enthusiasm in their performance. The segment is hosted by audience hypeman Rubin. The winner gets an “early Christmas gift” for their side of the audience they’re playing for.
Starting off the first round shaky, Clarkson took the lead with “Deck the Halls.” “I’m gonna kill you in this,” Clarkson joked to Momoa, who was a little slower to react than Rubin would have liked. Earlier in the show, the Aquaman star said the talk show was his last stop in his press tour for the sequel of the DC film and was just in Brazil and China. Due to his jet lag, Clarkson was always just one second quicker to react to the song, making it to the platform to guess the second song. Humming along and shaking to “Jingle Bells,” Clarkson got another point. Host Rubin had to give Momoa a pep talk and asked him to switch places so he could speak to him at eye level. With the pep talk seemingly working, the actor stepped it up in the third round even though Clarkson had already begun humming along to “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” Though neither really knew the lyrics, Momoa’s hyped-up performance gave him an extra point to tie the game up for the last round.
Both Clarkson and Momoa recognized and performed “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” at the same time, giving Rubin a tough decision when it came down to the tiebreaker. However, when Momoa put his hand on Rubin’s shoulder to remind him of his sheer strength, the hype man ended up swooning and giving the win to the jacked star. As a result, Momoa ripped off his jacket, wearing just a sheer white tank top underneath, and took a victory lap around the studio in celebration. Clarkson said it best about Momoa’s Magic Mike moment: “Everyone is a winner here, though. Especially us because he took his shirt off!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8boSTQlafY
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is out in theaters on Friday, December 22.
7 Best Pop Christmas Song Covers
Christmas music has been widely covered by artists of all genres for generations. Some songs date as far back as the mid-19th century, like “Silent Night,” “O Holy Night,” “The First Noel,” “Jingle Bells,” and “O Christmas Tree.” In modern times, pop singers have blessed the radio waves with their renditions of holiday classics and carols. Some artists have dedicated entire albums to Christmas, sharing their joy for the holiday. Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, and The Beach Boys came out with Christmas albums in the 50s and 60s. Fast-forward to 1994, and Mariah Carey became the self-proclaimed “Queen of Christmas” with her album Merry Christmas — the first of two Christmas albums. Her smash hit, “All I Want For Christmas is You,” has earned her between $600,000 to $1 million each December in royalties. However, Carey has been sued several times over the “Queen of Christmas” title.
In the 2000s, it seemed like every pop star wanted to emulate Carey’s Christmas success by releasing Christmas albums of their own. NSYNC, Destiny’s Child, Christina Aguilera, Hilary Duff, Jessica Simpson, Josh Groban, and Taylor Swift all released holiday albums. By the 2010’s, even more pop artists released Christmas albums: Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande (she released two), Kylie Minogue, Michael Bublé, Sia, Leona Lewis, Kelly Clarkson, and Gwen Stefani. In recent years, the Backstreet Boys, Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, and Cher all came out with new Christmas albums, some for the first time ever. Programming dedicated to the holiday often features Christmas specials featuring these pop stars, showcasing their unique renditions of the seasonal favorites. In 2023, Mariah Carey reunited with Ariana Grande, and Jennifer Hudson reunited for a live performance of their 2020 holiday collaboration, “Oh, Santa!” for Carey’s Christmas tour stop in New York City.
Take a look below at our top seven picks of the best pop Christmas song covers:
Laila Abuelhawa is the Top 40 and Hip-Hop pop culture writer for Beasley Media Group. Being with the company for over three years, Laila's fierce and fabulous red-carpet rankings have earned her a feature on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!' Her favorite stories are those surrounding the latest in celebrity fashion, television and film rankings, and how the world reacts to major celebrity news. With a background in journalism, Laila's stories ensure accuracy and offer background information on stars that you wouldn't have otherwise known. She prides herself in covering stories that inform the public about what is currently happening and what is to come in the ever-changing, ever-evolving media landscape.
