‘Idol’ Contestants Address Rising Fan Backlash: ‘So Much Hate’

Heavy/ABC Ryan Seacrest with season 22 "Idol" contestants Abi Carter, Julia Gagnon, McKenna Faith Breinholt, and Kaibrienne Richins

The aspiring artists who have advanced to the final rounds of “American Idol” are speaking up about rising tensions among their fans on social media. Season 22 platinum ticket winners Julia Gagnon and Abi Carter, who both advanced to the top 7 on April 29, 2024, have led the charge, pleading with viewers to stop the online hate.

Julia Gagnon Says ‘There’s No Place for Hatred’ Among the ‘Family’ of Remaining Contestants

Early on in season 22 of “Idol,” Gagnon — a 21-year-old college student from Maine — rallied her fellow contestants to make fun of some of the mean comments people were leaving for them after their performances. She and Carter would post videos reading the insults and burst into laughter. But now, she says, the comments are getting out of hand.

Relaxing in bed after performing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and advancing to the next round, Gagnon quietly told her Instagram followers that she needed to get something off her chest before continuing with her more lighthearted social media content.

“I want to just talk or at least draw attention to something that is so clearly evident, I think, to all of us contestants and probably a lot of you,” she began. “Just the fine-tuned reality that as the competition gets tighter and more people unfortunately leave our family, there’s just there’s so much hate everywhere.”

Gagnon said that it’s impossible not to notice that under each performance video that “American Idol” posts during and after the episodes, “people feel the need to drag down the other contestants as they think, for whatever reason, it promotes their favorite.”

Calling her fellow finalists her “family,” she continued, “I’ll be I think the first to say, but I’m sure not the last — and I hope and I do believe that I speak on behalf of all seven of us — that if you’re a fan of mine, if you’re a fan of us, you will not bring any hatred to any of the rest of our family.”

“This is family we spend every waking second together,” she said. “It’s not part of the game that we are willing to partake in, even if it’s a narrative that’s been usual or if it’s what people want. It’s just, there’s no place for hatred amongst this really tight knit group. There’s no point so please keep that in mind especially.”

Abi Carter & Mia Matthews Address Controversies Surrounding Emmy Russell

Nashville singer-songwriter Emmy Russell is one of the contestants who’s consistently received online backlash recently, with some people claiming that talking about her grandma, the late country music icon Loretta Lynn, has given her an unfair advantage, insisting her voice isn’t as strong as others in the competition.

After “Idol” posted her recent cover of Blink-182’s “All The Small Things,” many harsh comments were left on the post, from someone calling her version “horrid” to one of many asking “how the hell did she make it another round?”

On April 29, Carter used the post as a platform to speak out about the unkind comments.

“I will say this once,” she wrote. “Anyone leaving hate comments needs to understand that REAL PEOPLE with REAL FEELINGS and REAL LIVES are reading these comments. When you say negative things about people, (especially people you have never met and know little to nothing about) it says a lot more about you than it says about the person you’re hating on.”

Carter then defended Russell by adding, “Emmy is the most kind, talented, and special woman I have ever had the pleasure and luck of meeting. If you had the opportunity to meet her even for a second, you would understand EXACTLY why she is here and deserves to be here. Continue to be mad and complain while her songs are touching millions of people who relate and feel moved by her. That’s all.”

Meanwhile, top 10 contestant Mia Matthews, who was eliminated from the competition alongside KAYKO while Russell made it through, also addressed a brewing controversy about her supposedly ignoring Russell’s attempts to give her a hug on stage after the results were announced.

On April 30, Matthews posted video of the moment in her Instagram Stories and wrote, “guys I did ignore emmy’s hug BUT I DIDN’T MEAN TO hahaha!!!!! and if the situation truly played out as it seemed, I would HOPE people would harp on me for it! We don’t tolerate mean girl energy here! The truth is, I was talking/hugging Ryan, held an L up on my forehead & was giggling about it with Katy, and was trying to figure out where I was supposed to exit hahaha. I am the BIGGEST EMMY RUSSELL FAN!!!! My roomie and southern sister! genuinely couldn’t be happier for her!!!! no one deserves it more @emmyroserussell you STAR! I’m sorry I missed your hug!! I love u :)”

According to ABC, the next live episode of “American Idol” airs on Sunday, May 5, when Ciara will mentor the top 7 and the field will be narrowed down to the top 5.