Just under 28 million people watched as Kelly Clarkson was announced as the winner of “American Idol” Wednesday night. An estimated 22.5 million watched the whole episode, the highest watched show of the series.

“I feel a little bit of everything ? anxious, excited …” Clarkson told the AP.

But Clarkson didn’t even know she had won at first.

“I didn’t actually hear them say I won,” she told reporters afterwards, according to Reuters. “[Finalist] Justin [Guarini] just hugged me.”

The single, pictured at right, will be released on September 17.






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