Mickey Guyton Says ‘American Idol’ ‘Threw Her Away’

Mickey Guyton is not one for mincing words, and she’s now getting candid about her time on American Idol. In a new appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the singer said, very frankly, that the hit musical competition series “threw me away.”

During a Q&A portion of WWHL, a caller asked Guyton about her American Idol audition, which caused Guyton to smirk, leading the fan to ask if the audition ever even happened at all. “No, I did,” Guyton replied. Cohen noted that she did not make it far on Idol, prompting Guyton to say, “I did not. They threw me away.”

The “Black Like Me” singer auditioned for American Idol during Season 7 of the show, but was cut by judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson right before the top 24 live shows. American Songwriter noted that Guyton only appeared very briefly in the audition rounds during her final performance.

While she didn’t make it on American Idol, Guyton went on to build an illustrious music career. Seven years after her audition, Guyton’s debut single, “Better Than You Left Me,” climbed to number 34 on the Billboard Hot Country Airplay chart. She also received three nominations at the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards as well as one nomination the year prior, for “Black Like Me.”