Clarkson, 38, thanked Hewitt, 41, for her kind words during on Thursday’s episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show.”
“You probably don’t remember this, but it stuck with me [for] so long, almost 20 years now,” Clarkson began. “But right after — you have no idea I’m about to say this and you probably don’t remember — but it was at some kind of MTV Awards or something or VMAs or something, I don’t know what it was, but you ran up to me. And it was right when like the final three I think of ‘Idol,’ and we were just so slammed and everything was happening like in a whirlwind and people like were really mean to us because we’re from a talent show and it was the first season.”
She continued, “Like, everyone was so rude to us, like, on the carpet, like at the show … it was so bad. It was a horrible experience and you came up to me and ran up to me out of nowhere and were like, ‘Oh my gosh! I’m really rooting for you!'”
“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, but this business can be really hard. And just remember to keep those people who really love you’ — and you just gave me this advice that was really, really kind in such an … unkind rather time for me personally,” Clarkson said as Hewitt smiled, adding, “So, thank you so much, it meant the world to me. You were so nice.”
Clarkson to Demi Lovato, telling her in a June episode of her show: “It’s not easy to always have a spotlight on you and arrows being aimed at you, especially when you are vulnerable and you give people more ammo for all the trolls out there.”
