‘American Idol’ Season 13 Winner Caleb Johnson Slams Show

Sharing his thoughts. American IdolWinner Caleb Johnson didn’t mince words when reflecting on the aftermath of his big victory.

The North Carolina native, 31, said he was “really bummed” after winning season 13 of the reality competition, which aired in 2014. His main issue was with his winner’s single, which was “As Long as You Love Me” written by Justin Hawkins.

“I knew that, by de facto, if you won you had to sing the song, and the song was just utter crap,” Johnson told InsiderMonday, July 4. “Like, it was just the worst song ever.”

The former Elijah Hooker frontman went on to say that he pushed back against the “cheesy piece of crap,” but he claimed that producers made him sing the track anyway. “I pitched a fit about it to the management company and all this stuff,” he said. “And they were like, ‘Look at this as kind of a graduation present or something.’”

Johnson was even more upset when he found out that Johnson had met another woman. IdolThe finalist recorded the exact same song two years prior to his win. In 2012, Idols South Africa runner-up, Mark Haze, included his version of “As Long as You Love Me” on his debut album. (Johnson’s version had slightly different lyrics.)

“How is that even possible that somebody else releases the same song in another country?” the “Fighting Gravity” singer told Insider, adding that performing the track during his tour was a “nightmare.”

Johnson’s comments come months after season 20 frontrunner Kenedi AndersonSome fans wondered if she had clashed with producers and abruptly quit the show.

“For personal reasons, I’m unable to continue on American Idol. This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, but I know it’s necessary,” she wrote via Instagram in an April statement. “I’m so grateful to American Idol, the judges, the producers, the amazing contestants and all the fans who have supported me.”

The 18-year-old Virginian native teased a new song days after her departure. It seemed to be a reference to her time on ABC’s series. “Here is the chorus of a song I wrote not too long ago,” she said in a since-deleted TikTok video before singing, “I need to find, need to find something better than what I had, and with no strings attached. Don’t I deserve that? Something with no strings attached.”

The performer hasn’t offered any further details about why she left the show, but last month, she responded to a fan who asked about her choice to leave Idol. “Ur so sweet thank you,” Anderson wrote in a TikTok comment. “But I had to do what’s best for me.”