Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Carnie Wilson Speaks Out After Daughter Hit With 'Cruel' Comments Following 'American Idol' Audition

Four people standing together; one holds a guitar.
American Idol/ABC

The Wilson Phillips singer shared her frustration during a 90s Con panel after trolls made "cruel" comments about her daughter Lola's recent American Idol audition.

Carnie Wilson of the '90s pop vocal trio Wilson Phillips spoke out in response to the slew of cruel comments leveled at her 19-year-old daughter Lola Bonfiglio after she auditioned for American Idol .

"I just wanna say, we're human, and the internet is so cruel. It can be so cruel," Wilson said during the "Music of the ’90s" panel at 90s Con in Hartford, Connecticut.


On the March 23 episode of American Idol, Lola was joined by her dad, musician and producer Robert Bonfiglio, to perform for the teen's audition in front of the AI judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan.

The judges were surprised when Lola brought out her mom and aunt, Wendy. The siblings are daughters of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, and they comprised Wilson Phillips with singer Chynna Phillips Baldwin, the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas.

The judges were delighted to hear Lola leading the family band to sing one of Wilson Phillips' popular hits, "Hold On."

For her audition, Lola was given the floor to sing Kasey Musgrave's 2019 hit song "Rainbow," which got three yeses from the judges who complimented her voice.

They also gave Lola constructive notes and encouraged her to be less tentative, as Bryan pointed out, "This competition is going to require you to belt, too, and let loose a little bit, filling up the room a little more."

Here is a video of the audition.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

Many fans praised Lola's voice, saying it reminded them of a Disney princess, and the performance of "Hold On" made them nostalgic for an era filled with some of the catchiest tunes in pop history.

Some social media users, however, were less supportive.

"She’s not ready," wrote a YouTube commenter, referring to the brutal competition awaiting the aspiring singer in the reality series, now in its 23rd season.

Another called her out for trying to leverage her advantage in the competition as a "nepo baby," saying "If you feel you have to use the family spotlight to go through, you ain’t good enough!"

A third wrote, "Her singing made me think of middle school talent shows."

In response to the criticism, Wilson said "The internet is so cruel, and thecomments were really pissing me off, and I can't respond."

Wilson continued:

"Would you encourage a doctor's son not to be a doctor? No. Would you ever say, 'Don't be a doctor because your dad's a doctor'? Lola wants to be a singer, and they say these terrible things, and she was so hurt."

The 56-year-old singer recalled that Lola was "really scared" to audition for AI, saying that the experience was "the scariest thing she has ever done."

"She was trembling with nerves, and she did great," said Wilson, adding:

"I'm so proud of her, and they asked us to sing, you know, so we came and crashed the party. I don't think that Lionel and Carrie Underwood and Luke knew we were gonna be there, so that was fun."

Wilson emphasized that despite coming from a famous musical family bloodline, her daughter was "an aspiring artist."

Her Wilson Phillips group mate, Phillips Baldwin, who was also at the "Music of the 90s" panel with Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean, noted that she "read some [comments], too, and I think that we need to recognize there were beautiful comments...the majority of the comments were very supportive."

American Idol/YouTube

American Idol/YouTube

American Idol/YouTube

American Idol/YouTube

American Idol/YouTube

American Idol/YouTube

American Idol/YouTube

Wilson acknowledged the encouraging comments but asked haters to reconsider posting hurtful comments, especially after watching the toll they took on her daughter, who's just starting out in the business.

"I just want people to understand that it's not all these happy glitter things. We're real people with hearts and souls," Wilson said.

Here is a news report of the story.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

The new season, which kicked off on March 2, premiered with the '90s family theme when Backstreet Boys' band member Brian Littrell performed an impromptu duet with his 21-year-old son, Balyee.

The musical scion then sang his original song "Waiting on Myself to Die" while accompanying himself on acoustic guitar for the audition, which received a unanimous "yes" from the AI judges.

Baylee joined Lola for the bloodbath that is American Idol's Hollywood week, when more than half of the 144 contestants were eliminated from the competition.

He survived the cut, but unfortunately for Lola, it was the end of her AI journey.

Regardless of her exit, we hope to see more of Lola as her music career develops further and fans take more notice of her angelic voice.

American Idol/YouTube

American Idol/YouTube

Keep singing, Lola!

More from Entertainment/music

Ted Cruz; Kelvin Sampson
Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images; Alex Slitz/Getty Images

Houston Fans Livid After Ted Cruz 'Curse' Strikes Again At NCAA Basketball Championship

In 2013, 2016 and 2021, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz was labeled the most hated man in Congress—by members of his own party. In 2023, Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz replaced him as the "most hated."

In a 2016 CNN interview, South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said:

Keep ReadingShow less
Harriet Tubman
Library of Congress/Getty Images

National Parks Website Restores Harriet Tubman Photo To 'Underground Railroad' Page After Backlash

Following significant backlash, the National Park Service restored a previously-erased photo of Harriet Tubman from a webpage dedicated to the history of the Underground Railroad, in which she led 13 missions to rescue enslaved people.

A spokesperson said the changes were not authorized by the agency's leadership.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot from Fox News of Jackie DeAngelis and Tommy Tuberville
Fox News

Tuberville Now Claims 'Entire Men's Teams' Are 'Turning Trans' To Play Against Women

Alabama Republican Senator Tommy "Coach" Tuberville appeared on Fox News Sunday to again spread unhinged misinformation about transgender athletes.

Speaking with guest host Jackie DeAngelis, Tuberville stated:

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot from Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver/YouTube

John Oliver Epically Calls Out Awkward Truth Behind Former NCAA Swimmer's Anti-Trans Tirades

On Sunday's episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, the outspoken host devoted the entire program to the attack on trans girls and women who play sports by the GOP.

Oliver began the program saying:

Keep ReadingShow less
man in front of computer code
Chris Yang on Unsplash

Conspiracy Theories That Seem Believable The More You Look Into Them

We tend to think of conspiracy theories as a phenomenon of the digital age. But the internet and mobile devices only allow them to be created and spread faster.

Conspiracy theories have likely been around as long as human civilization has. They are, at their root, just another form of rumors and gossip.

Keep ReadingShow less