(Playwire)
Harry Connick Jr. and Quentin Alexander got into it during a few tense moments on Wednesday’s live “American Idol.” Watch below.
Alexander was the last contestant deemed automatically safe and into the Top 6 and received mixed, but mostly positive, reviews for his performance of Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” But the contestant appeared stone-faced after the feedback, leading host Ryan Seacrest to ask what was on his mind. Alexander pointed to fellow contestants Joey Cook and Rayvon Owen sitting in jeopardy and said, “This sucks. We have two of the best vocalists, my best friend [Cool] is sitting over there. This whole thing is wack. And I’m going to shut up right now.”
The surprisingly candid remarks left the room in silence, and did not sit well with Connick at all. As Alexander made his way back to his seat, the judge yelled out, “If it’s that wack, you can always go home.” At that point, Alexander began walking over to the panel’s table, leading Jennifer Lopez to exclaim, “Oh god, oh god.”
Connick went on to tell Alexander, “‘American Idol’ is paying a lot of money to give you this experience, and for you to say that to this hand that’s feeding you right now, I think it’s highly disrespectful.” Alexander tried to clarify that he wasn’t saying “American Idol” as a whole is “wack,” but “THAT,” his pals up for elimination. But Connick reminded him, “It’s a competition.”
Still, Alexander further said, “For my personal feelings, it sucks to see two people who I’ve grown to love go home. That’s what I mean by it being wack. So I’m not disrespecting this competition.” Keith Urban seemed satisfied by the explanation, but it wasn’t clear that Connick was completely buying it. He and Alexander awkwardly shook hands, and the contestant thanked the judge for giving him a chance to clarify. It was easily one of the most uncomfortable moments in “Idol” history.
After Alexander’s second performance later in the show, Lopez acknowledged he was in a “sensitive mood,” and said that while emotions can help make a great artist, he needed to keep his in “check.” Alexander said he meant “no disrespect,” and Ryan Seacrest even went on to actually joke, “I actually thought were going to go hit [Connick].” The contestant’s reply? “I was raised way better than that.” Check out the full video below, specifically beginning at the 3:40-mark, and tell us what you think.
