Kelly Clarkson asks Jake Gyllenhaal if he’s had a 'real job'

Kelly Clarkson almost found herself in the hot seat.

When interviewing Jake Gyllenhaal on her talk show, the singer drew laughter from the actor when she asked about his former day jobs before backtracking her words.

"Did you ever have any real jobs? Like, regular jobs?" she asked, before clarifying, "I mean, in life—a normal, average—I've had a lot of, like, normal jobs."

In response, Jake teased Kelly by saying she was "digging" herself into a bigger hole.

"Being an actor is not—you play, it's fun," Kelly said. "Being a musician, same thing. Not ‘fake,' but—"

Despite poking fun at her, Jake, who recently portrayed a sergeant in 2023 action movie Guy Ritchie's The Covenant, said he understood what she was trying to say.

"I'm not in the military. I'm not police," Jake shared. "I'm not actually doing that thing; I'm playing it. So, it's a little not real."

And to answer her question, he revealed that he once had a stint as a lifeguard. However, the job came with some unexpected duties.

"It wasn't like Baywatch, necessarily," Jake said in the April 21 appearance. "It was more like I guarded the beach, meaning there was a public beach and a private beach, and I had to tell people to not come onto the private beach."