An “American Idol” contestant who got a second audition to advance in the competition learned that the show must go on in brutal fashion on Monday. And it all played out before crying judge Katy Perry.
Fire Wilmore was dealt a giant blow before her Hollywood Week duet with Kaya Stewart, the daughter of Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart.
Stewart declared onstage she was too sick to perform and was withdrawing from the show. That left Wilmore, who previously hinted at abandonment issues growing up in a household broken by drugs, alone on the stage and crying.
That’s when fellow contestant Jayna Elise graciously stepped in to perform with Wilmore on Adam Lambert’s “Whataya Want From Me.”
“Listen, Fire, you’re not gonna be abandoned anymore,” Perry said.
Wilmore gamely sang while crying at times. That triggered full-on waterworks from Perry.
“I’m proud of you,” the “Firework” pop star said. “You’re growing, little by little. … Thank you for standing up here and continuing to try.”
“You’re not gonna be abandoned anymore,” Perry promised Wilmore.
Perry then told Wilmore she was “going forward” in the competition, prompting a standing ovation from the crowd.
Watch the video below.
