Bryan Bayliss later uploaded the duet through a fan channel on YouTube, where the video reached 11.4 million views. Viewers praised the performance, with one comment calling Clarkson and McEntire two of the industry’s greatest singers. Another maintained that this was where Clarkson proved herself by keeping pace, note for note, with a vocalist as powerful as McEntire.

Five years after the original appearance, Clarkson and McEntire revisited “Does He Love You” on CMT Crossroads in 2007. The higher-fidelity recording made their contrasting qualities especially clear: McEntire’s brighter, reedier twang cut through the arrangement, while Clarkson’s fuller, soulful tone supported the lower register. Also highlighted the emotion each singer brought to the lyrics.

The first duet occurred on September 23, 2002, during an American Idol installment filmed in Las Vegas. Having recently won the season, Clarkson readily shared her admiration for McEntire with the audience. She said the country singer had been among her inspirations since she was young and explained that she owned all of McEntire’s records, estimating there were about 30. Clarkson then began presenting her hero as “My American…”