American Idol winner Iam Tongi apologized after facing backlash for acting “disrespectfully” while singing the national anthem at this year’s MLB Homerun Derby.
Tongi was invited to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” at the MLB Home Run Derby in Seattle and accidentally kept his baseball hat on while singing. He was later slammed by fans who called him “disrespectful.”
He apologized in a YouTube video posted, captioning it, “First try at singing the National Anthem. So nervous that it was in front of such a huge crowd. And apologize for being so nervous and forgot to take off the hat.” The video featured Tongi’s beautiful rendition of the national anthem at the game.
Fans responded to Tongi in the comments, reassuring him that mistakes happen and that he did a wonderful job.
One wrote, “We thought you did an AMAZING job, Iam!!!! Who cares about the hat? Stuff happens. You keep going!!!!”
Tongi won season 21 of American Idol at just 18 years old in May.
Many accused ABC of rigging this season so that Tongi would win, but there has been no evidence to prove these accusations. Despite the allegations, Tongi has pushed forward, performing at his high school graduation and now at the Derby.
