Kelly Clarkson opens up about celebrities who were 'rude' and 'mean' to her when she became famous

Kelly Clarkson is undeniably talented and a real powerhouse in the music industry. And yet, when she started out in her career, she didn't always get the respect that she deserved.

Last week, in fact, the 38-year-old hitmaker opened up about her encounters with celebrities, who she said were "rude" and "mean" at the very earliest stage of her career.

Kelly, who became the very first winner of American Idol at the age of 20 back in 2002, believes they were "mean" because she had found fame on a talent show.

Kelly spoke candidly about her early industry experiences as she interviewed Jennifer Love Hewitt on The Kelly Clarkson Show. At the start of the interview, the 'Because Of You' singer thanked Jennifer for being kind to her when they met a number of years ago.

"You probably don't remember this, but it stuck with me for so long — almost 20 years now," Kelly said. "It was at some MTV Awards, and it was right when I was in the final three of Idol.

"We were just so slammed and everything was happening in a whirlwind, and people were really mean to us because we're from a talent show and it was the first season."

"Like, everyone was so rude to us," she said. "On the carpet, at the show — it was so bad. It was a horrible experience and you came up to me and ran out of nowhere and were like, 'Oh my gosh! I'm really rooting for you!'"

Kelly then went on to reveal the advice that Jennifer had given her, which she has followed ever since.

"You told me, 'Please keep the ones you love so close and it'll end up being about a few people in your life, unfortunately, this business can be really hard,'" Kelly recalled.

"'And just remember to keep those people who really love you close.' You just gave me this advice that was really, really kind in such an unkind time for me personally."

"So, thank you so much," Kelly added. "It meant the world to me."