"I'm a huge spitter..." - Jonathan Groff describes an embarrassing interaction with Kelly Clarkson when she watched him sing

Jonathan Groff, actor recently talked candidly about a funny and embarrassing interaction with Kelly Clarkson on her show The Kelly Clarkson Show. Kelly talked about how his Broadway style of acting and how she felt she was an inferior performer, as she told fans and him that she was busy dodging his spit and sweat throughout his performance.

He revealed:

"I'm a huge spitter"

You can watch the clip below at the 3:23 timestamp:

On May 14, 2025, in the episode, Clarkson spoke eloquently about her experience sitting in the second row at a performance of Spring Awakening, the Broadway show in which Jonathan Groff featured, on the May 14, 2025, program. She said:

"I saw you in that, and there's something — I didn't know there was a name for it — but I was second row, so you probably know where I'm headed."

Jonathan Groff immediately knew where she was heading and gave her a smile. She then continued:

"I was in the second row and I was like, 'What?"

While she made a motion akin to avoiding spitting.

She told the actor that it had a name, and it is 'Groff Sauce':

"There's a term, and it's called the 'Groff sauce.'"

Delighted but embarrassed, after Groff confirmed the moniker, she went on to say:

"It wasn't just your spit, it was your sweat. I was like, 'Oh, my god.' Then I felt like an inferior performer, because I was like, 'I have never worked that hard. I have never ever worked that hard. You’re, you’re like, speaking of cells, you’re whole body is into it. You, you are a spitter.”

To which Jonathan Groff replied:

"I am a spitter. I'm a huge spitter, and it's just what happens to me when I perform.... It's like everything goes. I just get really into it."

He joked about the audience members using their hands to shield themselves as he used his hands to act as a makeshift barrier:

"I have seen audience members take their programs and do this."

After Clarkson reassured an embarrassed Groff by saying:

"After a while, you get used to it."

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A history of Jonathan Groff's "Groff Sauce" On Broadway

Particularly well known for his energetic performances, Jonathan Groff's portrayal of King George III in Hamilton during the Broadway premiere in 2015. He went viral on the internet and was given the moniker lovingly by the internet for his propensity to accidentally spray the front row.

As it happens, Clarkson wasn't alone. Broadway fans have long been aware of Groff's "overactive salivary glands," as he described them, a characteristic he shares with fellow actor Amy Poehler.

Jonathan Groff talked about a recollection he had of co-star Lea Michele while nostalgically recalling his time in Spring Awakening. He said:

"At the end of Act I of Spring Awakening, when I would be in the hayloft with Lea Michele, some days I would be sweating so much, and we were simulating s*x."

He continued:

"I would be on top of her in the hayloft, and the water would be coming down my face, and then go to like a low faucet where it's just dripping in a straight line onto her body...and she would go, 'Oh my God, get off of me!'"

Despite the mess he makes, he is very grateful and appreciates his co-stars' tolerance. Another anecdote he shared was when he was in an interview with his Merrily We Roll co-stars, Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendes, on a 92Y interview.

He said:

"I can't believe how patient these two are with the amount of fluid that's coming at them, and it's real love, and not a day goes by where I'm not grateful for that. Because it's disgusting."

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