With more than 20 years on the air, American Idol continues to be one of the most popular singing competition series of all time. Every year, thousands of young singers fight for a chance to be the next idol. But who can blame them? After all, stars such as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks, Adam Lambert, and Jennifer Hudson got their big break on this show.
In addition to great singers, American Idol has given its audience plenty of drama. One of the best examples is the on-screen feud with Nicki Minaj that led Mariah Carey to quit the show and avoid talking about her time on American Idol in interviews. Most recently, American Idol is going viral after a former contestant announced that she wants to sue the show for breaking labor laws and mistreating competitors behind the scenes.
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This American Idol Contestant Believes That The Judges Turned Her Into a Laughingstock During Her Time On The Show
Normandy Vamos competed on American Idol season 20. The musician arrived at her interview carrying a carrot handbag, unicorn shoes, and a pink outfit. Upon seeing her outfit, the judges laughed at her. And when she announced that she would be singing Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” for her audition, Katy Perry laughed hysterically and left the stage, declaring she was finished with the performance.
Despite the judges’ comments, Vamos went on to sing “Proud Mary,” shocking the judging panel with her lower-pitched singing voice. She received a ticket to Hollywood for her performance, but she wasn’t happy about the way things played out.
Most recently, the former American Idol contestant called out the judges for making her a laughing stock during her audition. “The contract between her high-pitched speaking voice and her lower-pitched singing provided plenty of material for the judges to pick apart,” Vamos’ lawyer explained in a press release.
Related: How Does Lionel Richie Really Feel About American Idol And If He's Actually Friends With The Other Judges?
This isn’t the first time a competitor called out the way they were treated by the American Idol judges. Earlier this month, Katy Perry faced backlash for making mom-shaming comments about Sara Beth Liebe during her American Idol audition. The competitor ended up quitting the competition shortly after.
In a TikTok video, Liebe opened up about how Perry’s comments hurt her. "At the start of my audition — before I sang — I mentioned that I had three children and was a young mother, and Katy Perry made a joke that wasn't super kind," the former American Idol contestant said. “It was embarrassing to have that on TV. And it was hurtful and, you know, that’s that," she continued. "I did want to take this opportunity to say that I think that women supporting and uplifting other women is so cool, and I think that mom-shaming is super lame."
Former American Idol Contestant, Normandy Vamos, Is Suing The Show For the Way She Was Treated Behind the Scenes
Earlier this year, Normandy Vamos announced that she is planning to sue the production company behind American Idol because she was overworked and underpaid during her time on the show. Vamos filed a lawsuit for wage theft against the production company on February 2023.
According to Vamos, she and other contestants were treated as employees behind the scenes, working as much as 15 hours a day with little to no breaks. during the show's "Hollywood Week."
But they were not paid for their work. Vamos' attorneys claim that, at that point, the producers should have classified the participants as employees and not volunteers under California law, given that those episodes had the potential to be re-aired. But this didn’t happen. The lawsuit also alleges that contestants were made to sign "work-for-hire" contracts that signed away their copyrights and license rights to their performances on the show.
Related: American Idol Contestants Keep Quitting Before Elimination, Here's Why
"American Idol's producers seem to feel they can break labor laws and exploit ambitious young performers simply because they may be eager for a shot at becoming the next Jennifer Hudson or Carrie Underwood," Vamos's attorney, Chantal Payton, declared.
American Idol Is Not The Only Singing Competition That’s Been Sued For The Way Contestants Are Treated Behind the Scenes
American Idol is not the only competition television series that’s been sued for the way contestants are treated when the cameras aren’t rolling. In fact, in 2004, Simon Cowell was sued over duty care by a former X Factor contestant. The plaintiff was Katie Waissel, who participated in the show at the same time as One Direction.
In 2021, the musician revealed that she had to go to therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after suffering panic attacks and suicidal thoughts after she was labeled the “most hated” contestant of the competition. So, Waiseel, who is now a lawyer, decided to take legal action against Cowell’s record company Syco Entertainment for the way she was treated during her time on the show.
Waissel told The Sunday Times that she was only paid £1 for appearing on the live shows of the competition. “That structure is manipulation and coercion at its finest,” she explained. “There are so many of us who have been so trapped and it’s not fair, there was a huge imbalance in power. I just wanted to be able to understand [the contracts] and to protect people from being manipulated in the future.”
