Mariska Hargitay Was Relieved When Her Daughter Asked to Quit This Extracurricular

Mariska Hargitay peeled back the curtain on her private life during an October 15 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show — and made a hilarious confession that a lot of parents can relate to.

While visiting Kelly Clarkson’s award-winning daytime television show, Hargitay brought up a specific parenting conundrum that Clarkson instantly related to — how much of a relief it is when a child decides to quit certain hobbies or extracurricular activities. After all, so many of them are so overly time-consuming for parents.

“Sometimes as a parent, were you a little bit happy because it’s so much time out of your life to go to all those things?” Clarkson asked Hargitay at one point.

That’s when the longtime Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star stole the show with her response, confessing to Clarkson that she was secretly so happy when her daughter, Amaya, recently decided to quit horseback riding.

“Listen, when she quit horseback riding — ’cause I was ready to off myself — it takes seven hours to get there and then, the day she was like, ‘Mom, I don’t want to go,’ I was like, ‘Oh, no! You don’t want to go? You don’t have to go,'” Hargitay said as she pantomimed picking up a phone and calling to cancel.

Mariska Hargitay and Kelly Clarkson smile together.

Hargitay’s colorful storytelling made it even funnier.

“I don’t even like horses, do you?” she continued as she, Clarkson, and the live studio audience couldn’t stop laughing.

And that’s when Clarkson had an abrupt change of heart — just in case her kids, River and Remy, might be watching.

“We’re just kidding — totally spread your wings, try new things,” Clarkson hilariously backtracked to the camera.

The moment was everything that has defined The Kelly Clarkson Show, which recently began its seventh season: unfiltered conversations with some of the biggest names in entertainment — and a whole lot of laughter.

Capt. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) leans in and grabs Det. Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) hand on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Episode 2701.

Mariska Hargitay reveals Elliot Stabler is “in love” with Olivia Benson

In a shocking moment during an October 11 appearance on the Saturday, Hargitay confirmed something that Law & Order fans have been speculating about for a long time.

It’s official: Hargitay — throwing all spoilers to the wind — confirmed that Christopher Meloni’s character, Elliot Stabler, is in love with her character, Olivia Benson, finally putting an end to decades of mystery.

Law & Order: SVU fans who have followed the rollercoaster Stabler-Benson relationship for nearly three decades know how big an admission this is for Hargitay to make on national television — but will it lead to a romantic relationship playing out between the characters on the small screen?

There’s only one way to find out: Tune in to Law & Order: SVU every Thursday night at 9/8c on NBC.