On The Kelly Clarkson Show, the host revealed to guest Henry Winkler that her daughter River, 8, has gotten bullied in the past over her dyslexia.
While this was a heartbreaking revelation, Winkler—who has dyslexia himself and has written dozens of books—had a beautiful message to share with River. The moment was so pure that it had Clarkson (understandably) in tears over it.
"I literally was driving my daughter to school yesterday, and she's dyslexic. And you have told me that you're dyslexic as well, and I find that amazing to tell my daughter that you've written, like, 40 books and you're dyslexic," Clarkson said.
"Because she was getting bullied at school for not being able to read [like] the other kids."
The Voice judge went on to share that her daughter's school had done a presentation about dyslexia and all the awesome, accomplished celebrities who deal with the learning disability—including Winkler. "It really empowered her that y'all are so open about it," the singer explained.
After hearing that, the Happy Days actor turned directly to the camera to address River. He told the little girl, "River, how you learn has nothing to do with how brilliant you are."
Clarkson promptly began getting emotional, wiping tears off her face and saying, "We're fine... It's fine... My makeup artist is gonna kill me. That's so nice!"
Winkler became world-famous for playing Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on Happy Days in the '70s and '80s, and more recently has starred in Barry and Black Adam. He has also written a ton of books for children, many of which follow the adventures of Hank Zipzer, a dyslexic kid much like River.
As for Clarkson, she is mom to River and Remington, 7, both of whom she shares with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock.
