If you’re of a certain age, you probably remember Sanjaya Malakar’s appearance on Season 6 of American Idol back in 2007.
You probably also remember how Sanjaya was the subject of intense criticism because of his singing voice — and there was also a lot of speculation (as well as hateful jokes) about how he identified sexually.
During a recent interview on The Adam Sank Show podcast, Sanjaya addressed his sexual identity, as well as the scrutiny he faced to keep it a secret while appearing on American Idol.
“I identify as bisexual,” Sanjaya said in the interview. “At the time, I did not know, which is why it was so weird to me.”
Sanjaya also said that he’s faced speculation about his sexuality throughout his entire life, with people around him asking if he was gay at a young age. “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,” he continued. “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.”
Sanjaya also claimed that, during and after his appearance on the season, he was pressured into keeping his sexual identity a secret by his publicists.
“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 said.
“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?”
Years later, it seems like Sanjaya — who currently works as a pastry chef — is able to be who he is without facing scrutiny or derision, and that’s a beautiful thing.
Listen to the entire podcast episode here.
