Steve Carell Loved Finally Meeting His ’40-Year-Old Virgin’ Curse Word Kelly Clarkson

Want to meet your favorite singer? Yell their name as a curse.

Before he became an Oscar-nominated “serious actor,” Steve Carell was screaming “KELLY CLARKSON” while getting his chest waxed. The iconic scene in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, the movie that turned Judd Apatow into a brand, was the topic of discussion on Thursday’s The Tonight Show, where The Office star discussed meeting the “Since U Been Gone” singer earlier this year.

“She is the best,” Carell said about seeing Clarkson at the Golden Globes. “My wife and I saw her and we had to go over to her, and we kind of accosted her and said hi.” He continued, “I thought she would be mad at me about that. And I wasn’t sure because I never met her over those years. I don’t know. Like, ‘is he making fun of me? Why would he say that in anguish?’ Incidentally I love Kelly Clarkson. I’m a big fan and that’s part of the reason.”

It’s not hard to imagine Michael Scott listening to “A Moment Like This” on repeat. But never paying for the whole song, naturally. Carell hosts SNL (incidentally, his wife Nancy, was on the sketch show from 1995-1996) for the third time this weekend, with musical guest Ella Mai.

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