American Idol has launched so many stars this century —including such country music notables as Carrie Underwood and Scotty McCreery— that it's hard to imagine the show's breakout contestants being treated as second rate within the music and entertainment industries. Yet before the series proved its staying power, inaugural winner Kelly Clarkson felt shunned by numerous celebrities.
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During a 2021 interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show with Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Clarkson opened up about the rudeness she encountered before proving herself as a legitimate pop star. Clarkson also thanked Love-Hewitt for a specific and unexpected act of kindness.
"You probably don't remember this, but it stuck with me for so long— almost 20 years now," Calrkson 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. 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!'"
During a Plead the Fifth segment on Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen, Clarkson refused to name names of rude celebrities, though she did drop quite the clue.
"I will say a lot of them ended up on shows like the one I'm from," Clarkson said, which seems to point to reality series judges and coaches. "It's funny what money does."
In the same segment, Clarkson failed to name an American Idol winner from the past five years and confirmed the story about the time she pooped in a trash can backstage at one of her concerts.
