American Idol star Kennedy Reid is not letting any bullies get in the way of her pursuing her dreams.
In an episode of “American Idol” that aired on Sunday, April 14, 23-year-old Reid revealed in an interview that since starring on the show, she has faced online bullying over her appearance.
“After my audition aired, of course, I was on cloud nine. And then that night, I made the mistake of reading the comments,” Reid said, explaining that most of the ones she read criticized her appearance by calling her a “43-year-old woman” and disparaging her makeup and hair.
“I just wear wigs because I had a bleach fail at home, and that’s the only reason,” Reid said.
Reid’s mom, Jennifer, also weighed in to defend her daughter. “Kennedy is definitely 23 years old,” she said in a video that she uploaded to TikTok on February 19. “So, I would like to clear this up for everybody who is making bullyish comments on the internet.”
During Sunday night’s episode, Reid went on to say that despite the pain that reading mean comments has caused her, she is refusing to let them “win.”
With that spirit in mind, Reid decided to sing “Love Can Build a Bridge” by The Judds, which is a song about how love can help people to overcome their differences.
“I want to take my power back,” she said. “I’m not gonna give up on my dream because somebody doesn’t like my wig. Period.”
Reid, who usually wears long blonde wigs during her performances, opted to wear her short blonde hair naturally in a simple, slicked-back style for Sunday night’s performance.
She donned a one-shoulder hot pink dress and accessorized with oversized sparkly hoop earrings and shimmery champagne-colored eye makeup.
This is not the first time that Reid is clapping back at critics. On April 3, the singer took to Instagram to address comments that claimed she looks like the late televangelist Tammy Faye Messner.
In a lengthy caption, Reid defended Messner and herself. “This woman was beautiful,” she wrote. “And SHAME on anyone that treated her like a laughing stock. Nobody’s perfect.”
