Jill O'Rourke
Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
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| February 15, 2021 SIGN IN TO SAVE POST
ABCReading Time: 3 minutes
On Sunday night, Claudia Conway’s highly anticipated American Idol audition aired during the Season 19 premiere. The 16-year-old has been in the news a lot over the past several months, and has racked up over a million TikTok followers.
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Claudia has taken breaks from social media in the past, but she returned to Twitter this weekend to talk about her experience on Idol. She also posted plenty of honest thoughts on Instagram and TikTok.
Claudia Conway Talks About Her ‘American Idol’ Audition
In the days leading up to her audition airing, Claudia posted on TikTok that she was “not happy” about it. She added that she was “nervous and sick” at the time. However, she continued to promote her appearance, and defended herself on Twitter against claims that it was a publicity stunt.
RELATED: 5 FACTS ABOUT 16-YEAR-OLD CLAUDIA CONWAY ON ‘AMERICAN IDOL’
Claudia wrote that she was “vocally trained and in music for most of my life and did this on my own merit.” She added that she wasn’t pressured into auditioning, calling it a “really amazing opportunity” and saying she’s “coming into my own and creating a name for MYSELF.”
hi also a lot of people think that my being on american idol is a publicity stunt but i can promise you it is not. i have been vocally trained and in music for most of my life and did this on my own merit 🙂
— Claudia Conway (@claudiamconwayy) February 14, 2021Still, Claudia was nervous about watching her audition, posting on Instagram that she was “not ready for this.” She tagged American Idol and asked if the show could “make a last minute change and not air my audition.”
She later apologized to fans on TikTok, calling her audition “god awful” and adding, “I promise I do not sound like that.” She said she had strep throat, and told fans it “gets good” when she performs in Hollywood Week.
u can bully me it’s okay but wait til hollywood it gets good i promise i literally had strep throat bye
♬ –Claudia Calls Out ‘American Idol’
Claudia’s mother is former Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway. Claudia has documented their turbulent relationship on social media. In August of last year, she said she was trying to get emancipated from her parents, sharing that she had suffered “years of childhood trauma and abuse.”
RELATED: FANS REACT TO CLAUDIA CONWAY’S AUDITION VIDEO IN ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ PREMIERE TEASER
This was one of the concerns some people had about Claudia appearing on American Idol. People accused the show of exploiting her, and Claudia’s recent TikToks also seem to be calling them out for how they treated her experiences.
In one video, Claudia plays two sides of a conversation. In one, she says, “oh so ur mom is abusive whats that like.” She tries to respond, but is interrupted with a command to sing. She also suggested in the comments that the show told her to “make sure to mention ur parents.”
During her audition, judge Katy Perry asked Claudia if she was okay. She responded, “No, but yes.” Katy then asked of Claudia’s mom, “Does she still hug you?” Claudia responded that they love each other, but their relationship is “a little iffy.”
Claudia also posted on TikTok that the audition brought up her PTSD. She said in the comments that Katy’s question about her mother “sent me into fight or flight mode.” She also said she was “shaking” when Katy told her to draw from her childhood experiences when performing.
However, Claudia also complimented her fellow contestants, calling them “talented” and adding that they were the “most amazing people I’ve ever met.” Claudia will return to the show for Hollywood Week later in the season.
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