American Idol star Sanjaya Malakar comes out as bisexual, hits back at Simon Cowell: 'F--- you'
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American Idol singer Sanjaya Malakar has come out as bisexual in a new interview in which he recalled being pressured to hide his sexuality at the height of his fame and expressed choice words for Simon Cowell after the infamous judge regularly criticized him on the show's stage.
"I identify as bisexual. At the time, I did not know, which is why it was so weird to me," the season 6 alum said on Monday's episode of The Adam Sank Show podcast (below), describing himself as an "awkward theater kid" before auditioning for the American Idol singing competition at the age of 16 and later appearing as a regular contestant when he was 17.
Because of the circles he found comfort in as a child — mostly girls and theater kids — those around him insisted that he was gay, through to his appearance on the show in 2007. "I'm like, 7 [years old]. I don't even have any attraction to anyone, so why are you telling me this?" he said. "At the time of American Idol, I had a serious, long-term girlfriend. I was exploring my life as a child. American Idol happens and it's like, 'Oh, he's gay,' and now I have to say no, because they're forcing me to make a decision and define myself."
The 32-year-old also said that his team encouraged him to cover up his sexuality during and after his run on the show, which he finished in seventh place.
"They're like, 'Tell everyone you're single, be ambiguous, no one needs to know anything about anything because you don't want to lose your fans,'" he remembered. "I'm like, okay, why am I manipulating what I know about myself to figure out what kind of fans I'm going to get, because I'm still trying to figure out who I am?"
He also commented on the criticism he received from audiences and the show's panel — particularly Cowell, who was notably brutal in his reactions to Malakar's performances.
Malakar said that, while he understood why Cowell leaned into his role as a harsh judge, an exchange he had with the British star after season 6 wrapped rubbed him the wrong way. He said Cowell approached him at an after-party and commended him for taking his comments with grace on the program.
Everett Collection 'American Idol' season 6 star Sanjaya Malakar comes out as bisexual.
"For me it was like, it's really sad that this is what you have to do to be somebody," Malakar recalled. "But you've chosen this path in your life, so that's fine, f--- you, I have plenty that I could say to you, but in this moment my job is to stand here and listen and be the sweet little boy."
EW has reached out to Cowell's camp for comment.
Malakar is now "not really" involved in the contemporary music business, he said, and instead works as a pastry chef in Montana. Listen to his full interview on The Adam Sank Show above.
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