American Idol runner-up David Archuleta is terrified of discussing his love life in the media after his female friend received hate mail.

The Crush singer recently invited his gal pal to watch him at a concert, and was stunned after his companion was bombarded with hateful messages from jealous fans who spotted her in the audience.

And the 17-year-old insists the experience has left him wary of talking about his personal life to the press.

He says, "I'm just afraid to mention anything now. They said (to her), 'You're not good enough for him, and you're ugly.'"

"I can see why people (celebrities) want to keep things to themselves."