Unaccepting Parents Watch Gay Son Sing For First Time On 'American Idol'
Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon, whose rift with his parents over his sexuality has served as potent backstory on “American Idol,” performed in front of them for the first time on the show Sunday.
They were impressed.
Harmon’s soaring vocals on the Queen song “Who Wants To Live Forever” powered him into the final six of the singing competition.
Judge Katy Perry said Harmon “embodied the spirit of Freddie Mercury.”
“It was so beautiful seeing you perform in front of your parents for the first time and it’s so wonderful to see your journey,” Perry said.
Fellow panelist Lionel Richie lauded Harmon’s “ability to draw people in” and encouraged him to “keep up the good work.”
“The best time to do it is in front of your parents,” Richie added.
But the highest praise came from Harmon’s pop, a pastor. Harmon said that his parents have not accepted that he is gay, but emphasized recently that they have not rejected him as their son.
“That was very powerful,” his father said of the performance, in the clip below (fast forward to 4:25). “I’m not very objective, but I think he’s the best one here.”
Also advancing into the top six were: Laci Kaye Booth, Madison Vandenburg, Laine Hardy, Alejandro Aranda and Wade Cota.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
