Making history! Haley Slaton‘s American Idol audition blew the judges away and made her the first pregnant contestant.
“Being on the show pregnant is actually not going to be an obstacle for me,” Slaton, who was five months pregnant during the recorded appearance, told host Ryan Seacrest on the Sunday, March 20, episode. I grew up in church singing. So, I’ve been singing since I was three years old. This is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
During a pre-taped segment ahead of the audition, Slaton noted the impact that her mother had on her journey. “I’m here with my mom, and she was a single mom of three,” she shared. “Being a full college student with us growing up and having a full-time job, she never gave up. She inspires me to be a good mother.”
The Iowa native explained that she hoped others could relate to her story as she attempted to reach her goals.
“Just being a mom shouldn’t stop you from following your dreams,” Slaton added. “I just really wanna do this for my son and give him a really good life, and I really want to show him to never stop chasing his dreams in the future.”
The contestant’s first performance of Miley Cyrus’ 2009 song “The Climb” didn’t go well. Although Katy Perry supported Slaton’s attempt, Luke Bryan pointed out that it wasn’t “a perfect audition” in his opinion.
“There was some amateur moments, but then there were some real moments. I wonder if you could begin to replicate those more. That’s the million-dollar question,” Bryan told Slaton before she chose “One and Only” by Adele for her second attempt.
After receiving the golden ticket, Slaton formed a connection with fellow contestant Jordan Myles behind the scenes. The pair, who tied the knot in December 2021, have since offered a glimpse at their family dynamic. Slaton, for her part, has not mentioned the identity of her baby’s father.
“We got married pretty quick. We just knew. We started right off the bat talking to each other, and it ended up being an everyday thing,” Slaton told The Gazette earlier this month. “I was already pregnant, and he stepped up to be a father, and I couldn’t thank him enough for that. We’re very in love, we’re very happy that we met, and I feel like another reason why I was on the show was to meet him. That was a great experience — to meet someone that I finally could spend the rest of my life with.”
American Idol airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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