ABC is in “crisis mode” and considering taking the spotlight off contestant Claudia Conway after her appearance on American Idol last Sunday created intense backlash.
This, according to the last gossip from the New York Post. An insider tells the Post that the network is “rethinking how they are going to position Claudia and Kellyanne with promotion. They were big on putting Claudia in all of the promos, but now they are thinking of not putting as much focus on that … to not make as big a deal of her being on the show and focus on other contestants.”
Fans and pundits accused American Idol of exploiting Claudia and laundering her parents careers.
Fans and pundits alike accuse the show of not only exploiting a troubled teen, but also laundering the careers of her parents. Kellyanne Conway worked for President Trump, and helped launder his many falsehoods. Meanwhile, father George Conway, a never-Trump Republican, loudly criticized the president on liberal talk shows, social media and worked to defeat his re-election. Claudia describes her politics as progressive, and disagrees politically with both her parents.
The negative reaction blindsided the network
Reportedly, the network was blindsided by the intensely negative reaction to Claudia’s audition from both fans and pundits. If true, have they been following the news? Claudia chronicles her turbulent family life on Tik Tok. But in the past few months, she has posted audio of her mother abusing her verbally. And even more troubling–Claudia accused Kellyanne of leaking a photo of her topless on Twitter fleets. What’s more, the 16 year old aspiring singer accused her father of abandoning the family.
The family insists Idol didn’t exploit Claudia
Meanwhile, a source close to the family says they do not believe the show exploited her. “Claudia has been exploited by many people,” they said, “but not American Idol.” They noted the program regularly has minors on and that they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. “Claudia wanted to do it,” says the source, saying the hubbub is “not fair to Claudia. She worked really hard for her audition.”
Also, just a cursory glance at Claudia’s Tik Tok, reveals a media savvy young woman who appears to understand exactly what’s going on around her.
@claudiamconwaythe pain? original sound – Siah ;)
The thing is, American Idol has always casted–and some would say exploited–contestants with troubled backgrounds. However, the hopefuls are typically not so high profile as Claudia and her family. In any case, Claudia is a decent, but not standout singer. I doubt that she makes it to the voting rounds. Folks who are only following this story casually probably don’t realize that Claudia will likely appear on one or two more episodes TOPS before the judges eliminate her.
