Wichita singer Arthur Gunn making national headlines after ‘American Idol’ controversy
Wichita singer Arthur Gunn has been making national headlines this week for a controversial last-minute decision he made to drop out of performing on “American Idol’s” finale on Sunday.
Now, the singer is attempting to explain himself through his social media accounts, and things just got more interesting.
Gunn, who was the runner up to winner Just Sam in the show’s 18th season and who briefly returned to compete for the title this season as well, was scheduled to perform with singer Sheryl Crow on Sunday night’s finale, during which Chayce Beckham was named the winner.
During that broadcast, Gunn was set to perform a duet of “Everyday is a Winding Road” and “If it Makes You Happy” with Crow. But when the moment came, Gunn was not on stage, and instead, a different contestant from this season’s top 16 took his spot.
No explanation was given for Gunn’s absence, and even celebrity judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie seemed confused in post-show interviews about what happened.
Gunn, who is scheduled to perform a Wichita concert at The Cotillion on July 30, responded to the headlines via his social media accounts on Tuesday.
In his post, which appeared on both Instagram and Facebook, Gunn said he “missed my opportunity to sing with” Crow and invited her to join him on stage at his Cotillion show.
“It was last minute decision but I couldn’t help but say no cause of some personal morals and values due to unpleasant environmental experiences.”
Though he declined to elaborate, Gunn said in the post that “American Idol” was not to blame and that “it is what it is, so I felt like I had to move on.”
Representatives for “American Idol” had no comment about the situation when contacted by national entertainment publications like Entertainment Weekly and Us.
Gunn, 23, whose birth name is Dibesh Pokharel, was born in Kathmandu, Nepal, and moved to Wichita seven years ago. He was at the ”American Idol” auditions that rolled through Wichita in September 2019.
He was the runner up in the show’s 18th season, which aired last year at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic with contestants competing via live stream from their homes across the country.
He briefly returned to the “American Idol” stage this year when he was chosen by viewers from a pool of last year’s Top 20 contestants to get another shot in the competition. But he lasted only a week before being voted off.
This story was originally published May 26, 2021 at 9:36 AM.
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