After absolutely slaying on the eighth season of American Idol, rising gay icon Adam Lambert was hit with a barrage of homophobic hate from the public and press. Though he was pressured in interviews to apologize or dial it back for the hetero masses, Lambert remained committed to taking the stage as his authentic self. Years later, the superstar singer reflects on his past mistreatment to inform how far LGBTQ+ identifying artists have come.
Lambert recounted his first jarring post-performance interview. “First of all, you know not everybody all around the country can take that?” an Access Hollywood correspondent chastised Lambert, whosepowerful stage presence in spiked-studded jackets and mega amounts of mascara had surely angered conservative viewers throughout his 2009 Idol run. Did the journalist want Lambert to apologize for… being gay?
He reflects on that time, “I realized in that moment, oh this is gonna be some drama.”
It was too late. The gay ball (or queer sphere) was already in motion. Lambert was unapologetically out, flamboyant for all to see, and opened something in repressed gay boys around the country. We all wanted more and were along for the ride.
After an impressive finish in second place, where we all remember famously hard-to-please Simon Cowell gave Lambert the only standing ovation of his American Idol judging career, the world waited to see what was next.
Once the show wrapped, photos spread online of Lambert kissing a man on stage at Burning Man. The media frenzy was swift and cruel, debasing Lambert’s lifestyle as a “dangerous choice” and bad for the American Idol brand.
The day he was set to go on Good Morning America, Lambert shared he was unceremoniously “removed” from appearing. His team instead had to scramble for another daytime talk show, opting for a sit-down interview about his burgeoning identity. He was ambushed with close-minded questions that pushed him to admit regret, like “Now that you’ve had time to think about the children, because you do have child fans, do you feel the need to apologize to them?”
Lambert gave a great rebuttal, how just years earlier, a same-sex kiss between Britney Spears and Madonna was nationally praised at the VMAs. The reaction to that was quite different from Lambert’s experience expressing queerness on stage.
The anchor then asked Lambert the big question on why he was being targeted: “Is it because you’re male, or because you’re gay?”
“Both. I think it’s a double whammy.” Lambert laughed, yet still sincere in every way.
Before going to the commercial, the show displayed the Britney/Madonna kiss. But when Lambert’s gay Burning Man kiss was queued up, they blurred it. Proving his point, Lambert knew he had a long road ahead when it came to justifying his own existence.
“A lot of people pulled back in the industry. It wasn’t a sure thing.” he shared in this emotional explanation.
When he did finally land interviews, outlets never held back in pushing Lambert to feel shame for sharing his flamboyant behavior on stage or for simply being gay. This, unfortunately, led to fewer opportunities to be seen in the spotlight. Lambert looks back on that time as an obstacle, one he’s hopeful new LGBTQ+ identifying artists don’t have to face.
There is so much work needed to be done to support gay performers. Thanks to Lambert’s persistence, we know folks can be explicitly queer in their art and not have to ever apologize for it. While the mountains of unfairness Lambert faced at the start of his career certainly left an impact, So.Gay is proud to see his legacy living on. Every up-and-coming kid looking to sing and dance on stage, away from the boring restraints of heteronormativity, has Adam Lambert to thank.
The legacy of Adam Lambert is a story of strength. He’s been gracing our ears with incredible pop music, offering his signature voice to hits like Whataya Want From Me and Ghost Town.
He’s toured around the globe with Queen and now can be seen in New York in Broadway’s “Cabaret” with Auliʻi Cravalho.
For many of us, Lambert was our first introduction to a queer person on television. Though several states and screens separated us, closeted gay kids all over the country knew to tune into Lambert’s historic run on American Idol.
A voice of sheer power and with the uncanny ability to belt, any Adam Lambert performance is a joy-filled experience. Passion seeps deep into his lyrics, written with both pain and pleasure from an authentic queer person.
There are so many inflection points in queer history, moments that make us remember how far we’ve come. Pop culture’s often at the intersection of that because gays make trends! Even straight friends of mine recall Lambert being snubbed out of a victory on Idol. His time on TV is definitely one for the gay textbooks.
In the early 2010s, before gay marriage was the law of the land and homophobia was sd rampant as the housing crisis, when Ed Hardy was still worn, there weren’t many gay performers young people could look up to. Before Gaga, and way before the likes of Troye Sivan, our only taste of gay media was the weekly performance rocked out by Adam Lambert on Idol. His world entered our living rooms, and people everywhere either began to love or hate the IDGAF energy of this talented gay man.
Lambert proved to be an unapologetic rockstar, draped in queer charisma and awesome energy. To know he’s been at the forefront of fair representation since he came into the spotlight is reassuring.
Record labels and faceless CEOs manage our faves into despair. Even Chappell Roan was dropped by her label after being undervalued for years on end. Our community deserves to express ourselves however we want, especially when the core of art – individuality – is only improved by marginalized perspectives. Underdogs and gays can command attention, stay true to their authentic aesthetics, and should only be met with support when navigating celebrity.
