‘American Idol’ Alum Reveals She Is Homeless, Asks for Help

American Idol alum Mishavonna Henson is asking for fan’s help amid a “life and death” situation. In a recently-created GoFundMe page, Henson, who competed on Season 8 of the singing competition, revealed that she is currently homeless and living out of her car and has been in and out of the emergency room several times this year.

Asking supporters to “Help Me Stay Alive,” Henson wrote, “I have recently become homeless,” before going on to further open up about her dire situation. The singer shared that she currently lives in her vehicle, “and besides being nearly 4 months late on my car payment, my battery is dying, my oil is basically putrid, and I can’t run the AC even though it’s the middle of summer.” Henson also revealed that she has been experiencing health issues, writing, “On top of all of that, I have SO many hospital bills. I’ve visited the ER five times this year already,” also revealing that she is no longer able to afford her insurance and medications.

“And lastly, but probably the most important, I can’t afford my insurance which means I can’t afford my medications and that will end up deadly. I’m diagnosed schizoaffective, I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and Gastroparesis. I absolutely cannot go without my meds,” she wrote. “So if any of you kind people would care to donate I will be forever grateful. Literally every penny counts. This is very much life or death.”

Henson set the GoFundMe goal at $3,000. As of this posting, $400 has been raised, with Henson receiving messages of support from donors.

Henson notably appeared on Season 8 of American Idol in 2009 when the hit singing competition was still a Fox title. Although the series did not air her audition, she gained attention during Hollywood week, easily becoming a fan favorite with her Top 36 performance of Train’s “Drops of Jupiter.” However, following her run on American Idol, Henson took a step back from the spotlight, with a 2016 report from The Orange County Register catching up with past American Idol alums writing, “She’s the hardest to track down today. She cut a Christmas duet with country star Crystal Gayle in 2010 and got married a couple of years later. After that, her website goes dormant and her social media goes cold.” Henson resurfaced in 2021 when she joined TikTok.