Baylee Littrell is making a name for himself on Season 23 of American Idol. The country artist, whose dad is Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell, has made it to the Top 24 and will perform for America’s votes for the first time.
But with his rising stardom has come the negative side of fame, making Baylee susceptible to negative comments and criticism online. Many American Idol viewers have theorized that nepotism played a part in judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan‘s decision to push him through Hollywood week and into the top 24.
However, many others have also jumped to Baylee’s defense from the critics and doubters. One Reddit commenter said that they don’t think being a “nepo baby” has had much of an impact on how well Baylee’s done in the competition.
“They didn’t even show his showstopper [round] performance and they’ve [criticized] him more than a lot of the other contestants,” the person pointed out, adding that Underwood also warned Baylee that he had to “step it up” if he moved forward after his head-to-head round performance. “His [Idol] Arena performance was amazing and we didn’t see his showstopper, so that could have been fantastic too. And Carrie was harsh with him and let him know that that performance was not his best.”
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One person who agreed commented, “I absolutely love his style, love his look, love his voice. Hope he goes far,” and someone else wrote, “He is a great singer and plays an instrument and a wonderful songwriter. He possesses a lot of talent that he can continue to develop even more since he’s so young yet. He took his skill and coaching from being a ‘nepo’ and DID THE WORK.”
Another user admitted that while Baylee isn’t their favorite performer, they like him better than others who have moved on. Other users were fine with him making the top 24, but said they’re worried that America will be swayed by his family ties when it comes time to vote. ” I see a scenario that he might out right dominate the vote based on who he is alone…this would annoy me greatly if that ended up happening…” someone said.
The top 24 performances were pre-taped in Hawaii earlier this year, and the results won’t be revealed until the first live show on Easter Sunday.
American Idol, Season 23, Sundays and Mondays, 8/7c, ABC
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
