Lionel Richie drops harsh reality of being famous: 'I'm never going to be that'

Lionel Richie has some great advice for those aspiring to start their careers in the acting world.

Richie, along with his son-in-law Joel Madden, appeared on the Wednesday, March 25 episode of the Artist Friendly with Joel Madden podcast, where he touched on topics such as sacrifice and success, emphasizing the importance of practising kindness, especially in the spotlight.

The 76-year-old American singer-songwriter and musician said, “I always say to people: what comes with success are sacrifices.”

He went on to explain that privacy is the first sacrifice, urging that people should consider stepping into the business world only when they “like people” as baseline.

"I hope you like people because if you don't like people, here's how it's going to sound. You spend the first half of your career going, 'Look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me.' And then you finally get famous. 'Don't look at me. Don't look at me. Don't look at me,’” Richie explained.

The American Idol judge added, "Oh, you want to be famous and rich without the people? It doesn't work like that. You have to be able to engage."

Madden also participated in the conversation and opened up about Richie’s habit of acknowledging people around him in public settings.

The Stuck on You crooner stated that he started giving people respect after being ignored in the past.

“You know what it is? I was invisible once. There's a person who... they're scared to death of you. And they want to say something to you. And you can see it on their face. They want to say something. And for me to ignore them, would be the worst,” Richie explained.

It is important to note that he respects fans because "there's an old expression I have: Sometimes you meet the person you idolize the most, and you're sorry you met them.”

“I made a promise to myself, I'm never going to be that. Never,” Lionel Richie concluded.