Former ABC News host Amy Robach spoke up for Kelly Clarkson after she faced backlash over her role commentating on the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
The singer and talk show host appeared alongside former NFL great Peyton Manning and long-time Olympics host Mike Tirico to provide commentary during Friday's live TV event.
Despite her enthusiasm for the spectacular, pundits and social media users slammed Clarkson. Some argued her presence was "disruptive," and that she "interfered with fans' ability to enjoy the show," but Robach had other ideas about the singer's performance on the night.
"She was being herself. She was not trying to be someone who was a sports fan... [and] just was reacting like a human," Robach said during the latest episode of the podcast she hosts with her boyfriend, T.J. Holmes. "Some people have said she was basically being disruptive without substance."
Robach pointed out that plenty of people had positive things to say about Clarkson's commentating skills.
"I will say there were some people who did come to her defense and they said, look, she was like the fun aunt and someone else said she was like a golden retriever and another one points out Kelly Clarkson is an incredible entertainer, and an incredible vocalist," she said, adding that Clarkson "had a lot of passion."
She also pointed to her and Holmes' own broadcasting experience.
"We know how hard it is to broadcast over and narrate live events," Robach said.
"They were giving genuine reactions in real time and that's not always easy to do, especially if you had to do it for four hours straight," she said. "And from what our understanding is, they carried a heavier load than anticipated because the weather caused issues too."
Holmes, who co-anchored Good Morning America 3 with Robach until they were let go by ABC when it was revealed they were in a relationship, also shared his thoughts.
"We're used to broadcasters and maybe we're just accustomed to doing that," Holmes said, arguing that Clarkson's natural enthusiasm was a change from regular sports broadcasters.
Robach added: "You have to know so much about all of these athletes. We have nearly 600 U.S. athletes and they would all be in that binder, in addition to some of the big athletes in other countries. And so there was so much information to digest, to remember, to memorize, to try and have facts and figures when you're commenting or looking at events and being able to explain them to the audience."
Newsweek contacted Clarkson's representative by email for comment.
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