Adam Lambert has been one of the biggest success stories to come out of American Idol. Having launched a successful solo career while later fronting Queen, Lambert joins a list of former Idol contestants who made a name for themselves well past the show.
Lambert faced some tough waters early on, including a tense relationship with judge Simon Cowell and being outed with leaked photos. However, he navigated those obstacles with class and later took ownership of his public identity.
However, auditioning for Idol was a risk and there was one requirement Lambert needed in order to sing for the judges. He would call this particular requirement "scary."
Adam Lambert Once Said He Wasn't Fond Of The Way Simon Treated Certain Contestants
Danny Noriega was a former American Idol contestant who competed in the show's seventh season. They did so well that they were placed in the semi-finals. During the competition, Simon Cowell referred to one of Noriega's performances as "grotesque." The remark brought Noriega to tears and was just one example of something Lambert saw as a recurring issue on the show.
"Up until my season, anytime someone came on the show that was perceived to be gay or it was obvious enough that they were gay, they were a joke; They were made fun of," Lambert said in an interview with NME. "Simon would make fun of them."
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Noriega didn't let Cowell's comments stop them, however. They kept singing and eventually became known as drag queen Adore Delano. Lambert said that he felt a similar mistreatment by Cowell because of his identity while on the show.
Adam Was Outed During His Time On 'American Idol' And Came Out When The Season Ended
During Lambert's time on Idol, a mini-scandal erupted that placed a different kind of spotlight on the singer. Photos from an old social media profile began circulating online. The photos featured Lambert kissing an ex-boyfriend. Lambert had not publicly confirmed his sexuality at the time.
"I was very comfortable and secure with who I was," Lambert told People. "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."
Lambert said that the backlash over the pictures made him feel "ashamed" of who he was for the first time.
"It was like I was going backwards in some ways," he admitted.
However, it ultimately made him stronger as a result, telling the outlet, "It made me stronger and informed the kind of art that I wanted to make."
Shortly after his time on American Idol came to an end, he came out publicly when he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone.
"I am gay, and I'm very comfortable with it," Lambert told Nightline at the time.
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Lambert revealed that he was out way before he auditioned for Idol and didn't hide it while on the show.
"'Come out' is so funny to me because I've never been in," he said. "I've always been out. I just chose to avoid it. I didn't ... I don't feel closeted. Everybody that I worked with knew about my personal life."
Adam Was Told He Couldn't Audition For 'American Idol' Unless He Quit The Musical 'Wicked'
In 2023, Lambert spoke with The Creative Coalition to discuss his career beginnings and his time on American Idol.
"I did a musical version of The Ten Commandments with Val Kilmer as Moses," Lambert said of his pre-Idol gig. "It was a very interesting, odd little production."
Once he auditioned for Idol, Lambert was told by producers that he needed to be free from any other professional contracts. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to use him on the show. This meant that he had to quit his job in the musical Wicked.
"I had to be a complete amateur," he explained. "I couldn’t have any professional representation or contracts in play or anything, so I had to quit my job at Wicked. And quitting the job was scary."
Lambert also discussed the many steps it took before he could even sing in front of Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Kara DioGuardi, and Randy Jackson.
"I kind of got to the point where I realized that nothing was going to happen in my life unless I really took a chance and dove into it," Lambert said. "I just started saying ‘yes’ to everything. I went up to San Francisco with two friends. We sat in an arena for hours to get seen by the production assistants, and then you make that cut, and they send you to one person above them, and then I made that cut. The hoops that you jump through in that show are to kind of see if you can handle it."
During his audition, Lambert sang Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." The performance was cut off by Cowell simply by saying, "Okay." Paula Abdul told Lambert he was a "great singer."
Cowell, on the other hand, wasn't so impressed. "I'm going to give you my opinion for what it's worth," he began. "I think you are... theatrical." Cowell didn't mean it as a compliment.
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During Lambert's run on the season, Cowell warmed up to Lambert.
"Over the entire season, you’ve been one of the best, most original contestants we’ve ever had on the show," Cowell told Lambert during the season finale. "The hope and whole idea of a show like this is to find a worldwide star, and I truly believe we’ve found that in you."
