Adam Lambert Was “Ashamed” American Idol Fans Made Fun of His Sexuality after Photos of Him Kissing Ex-Boyfriend Went Viral
The star singer who emerged from the 2008 American Idol, Adam Lambert was dragged on the internet after a scandal that led people to question his sexuality rose. Pictures of him kissing his ex-boyfriend put him under heavy scrutiny. It was not just limited to that, more trouble followed after the star singer performed one of his controversial songs on AMAs. He was not only threatened with a lawsuit but also blackballed from the industry for quite a while.
Although, the singer was quick to reach success the backlash that followed was bigger than that. Despite, the setbacks, he has time and again managed to emerge victorious.
Adam Lambert faced backlash for his sexuality
The issue of Adam Lambert‘s sexuality first came to the forefront during his appearance on American Idol. While the judges and most viewers appreciated his vocal talent, some fans of the show were too critical of his openly gay identity and his on-stage performances, which they viewed as too sexually explicit. When the pictures of him kissing his ex-boyfriend came to light, it caused a mini-uproar. Although he was openly gay and had come out to his friends and family years ago, he didn’t think the topic of his sexual preferences was something of concern on the hit show. He explained to People,
“I was very comfortable and secure with who I was,—It was never a secret. During the live broadcast, there was no one asking me what my sexual preference was, and we weren’t allowed to do interviews during the show back then because they wanted to keep everyone on a level playing field.”
He then revealed that this led him to feel “ashamed” about his own identity for the first time. Despite these criticisms, Lambert was ultimately able to make it to the finals of American Idol and score a record deal with RCA Records. He then later came out as gay officially in Rolling Stone magazine.
Adam Lambert’s performance got him black-listed from the industry
Lambert’s controversial performance of the song For Your Entertainment at the American Music Awards drew criticism for its overtly sexual themes and choreography. Some viewers accused Lambert of “promoting a gay agenda” or “pushing his sexuality” on others, even though his performance was consistent with the overall theme of the song. This landed him in a lot of trouble. He later explained his situation on Entertainment Weekly saying,
“I was kind of sexy, and had dancers on stage, and I did a couple of suggestive moves with a couple of dancers, and an impromptu kiss with my bass player,”
He then further added,
“I was feeling it. Well, I got off stage and I got in trouble. The network was like, ‘How dare you?'”
This performance single-handedly canceled his appearances on Good Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. Reportedly, the network received over 1,500 calls following his controversial performance. Lambert said,
“They threatened me with a lawsuit,–it was like, ‘Oh, okay, that’s where we’re at.’ I didn’t know. I’d been in a bubble in LA amongst artists, weirdos, and I didn’t realize that that kind of thing would ruffle feathers the way it did.”
While he may still face criticism from some quarters for his sexuality. Lambert has continued to release music and tour, with his most recent album, Velvet, earning praise for its retro-inspired music and catchy hooks.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
