Kellie Pickler Breaks Down on Stage

"I Wonder" Brings Tears to the Eyes of Many

J Gorman, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Jan 19, 2007 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."

Today on The View, Kellie Pickler returned as a co-host, and was scheduled to close out the show by sharing her new single.

In performing the song, she showed her vulnerability in a major way. For the first time, Pickler publicly sang a song entitled "I Wonder," which she co-wrote for her mother.

Mid-way through the song, Pickler lost her place, and was forced to hold her head in her hands, sacrifice a few beats, and take a deep breath to regain her concentration.

This all happened at a point in the song where a montage of childhood pictures was being displayed behind the stage. During a line about prom, Picker turned around to see a photo of her wearing her prom dress. She subsequently began to break down.

In the personal biography featured on her official website, Pickler shares that she was only two years old when her parents split up. After separating, her mother left and Kellie was put into the care of her father. Sadly, her father was into drinking and drugs, and Kellie therefore spent most of her time growing up with her paternal grandparents.

Another song Pickler co-wrote was dedicated to her grandmother, and entitled, "My Angel." About her grandmother's death, Pickler has said, "Of all the things I have been through in my life, the hardest thing I've ever gone through is the loss of my grandmother. She was always there for me, and then she was gone."

Pickler has also stated, "There's a difference in running from your problems and overcoming them." In order to overcome her issues with her mother, she decided to write this song, but it has become obvious that is still dealing with the problem. To her credit, she has not run away.

Upon finishing the song, as the rest of the co-hosts walked onto the stage to console her, Pickler still had tears in her eyes. Her performance had moved Elisabeth Hasselback, a regular co-host on the show, to tears.

Rosie O'Donnell, who is working to complete her debut season on The View, hugged Pickler, telling her how brave she is to have shared this meaningful song.

This performance is a testament to how parental neglect and abandonment can have a serious long-term impact on a child. Twenty years later, Kellie Pickler is still suffering the consequences of growing up without a mother. And she will continue to do so.

Published by J Gorman

A recent graduate from Penn State University, J. Gorman is currently working for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. View profile