Megan Danielle, the runner-up of American Idol’s Season 21, is speaking up about the controversy around Iam Tongi’s victory during the competition.
In a new interview with the New York Post, Danielle pushed back against fan allegations that the show was rigged.
“I feel like Iam is so deserving, and he’s so humble, and, I don’t know, I feel like any of us really deserved it,” the 21-year-old said. “I would say that it isn’t [rigged] just because, you know, I feel like God made all of this happen for a reason, even if I was first, second, last, whatever.”
In the May 21 season finale, Tongi became the latest Idol winner, with Danielle coming in second and Colin Stough placing third. And those results had some viewers suspicious.
“American Idol is rigged,” one person tweeted during the show. “Colin Stough was the best one out there. Big Hawaiian dude that has the best sob story is going to win. … I thought it was about talent.”
Another Twitter user wrote, “Obviously the sympathy vote fix is in. The least talented guy has made it to the finals.”
And a third user tweeted, “I’m having a real hard time believing that American Idol is not rigged just a little.”
For his part, Tongi brushed off his haters in an interview with DailyMail.com last week. “A lot of people are like, ‘Colin Stough was robbed,’ or whatever,” the Hawaii native said. “My dad always told me that your music’s not meant for everyone. There’s going to be people that are not going to like it, and that’s OK. That’s normal. … Everyone gets their own opinion. Everyone gets to think what they think. So, it’s fine. … I love [my] community coming out and supporting me and showing up [for me], and I’m not going to really chase after fans.”
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
