‘AGT’ Opera Singer Shows Family What They Are Missing After Kicking Him Out For Being Gay [VIDEO]
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Singer Jonathan Allen opened up on America’s Got Talent about how singing helped him through a really difficult time in his life. He was kicked out of his house at 18 years old for being gay but came to the show on season eight to show his parents what they were missing out on.
Jonathan Allen Impressed The ‘AGT’ Judges With Powerful Opera Singing
“I want them to see what I’ve done with my life and I’m not a bad person and I really want them to see that,” Jonathan said about his family before his America’s Got Talent audition. “Show them what you’ve got and show them what they’re missing out on,” Howie Mandel told Jonathan. He sang “Time to Say Goodbye” and it definitely seemed like nobody expected him to be such an excellent opera singer. “You seem like a good person and you have a dream and you have a talent and your own family disowned you. But with your talent, this show has become your family and we’d like to say ‘welcome home'” Howie said. “You’ve got a gift. You have a way of making us feel an emotional connection” Howard Stern said. Heidi Klum said Jonathan was such a good singer that she questioned whether or not she was actually singing. Mel B also praised his performance.
SEE ALSO: 7 FAMOUS LGBT PRIDE MOMENTS IN ‘AGT’ HISTORY
The judges all collectively agreed to send Jonathan into the Vegas Round. There he sang “First Time I Ever Saw Your Face” which sent him soaring into the quarterfinals. He made it all the way to the semifinals where he was later eliminated.
SEE ALSO: 14-YEAR-OLD PERFORMS EMOTIONAL RAP TRIBUTE AFTER HER FATHER’S MURDER ON ‘AGT’
Where Is He Now?
In 2016, Jonathan released an LGBTQ anthem called “Amen.” The song depicts the difficulties members of the LGBTQ community face when they are not accepted by everyone in society. “The song attempts to chip away at many issues by starting a dialogue that shows people we all can believe the same things, deal with the same things, and be torn apart by the very same things that should bring us together,” he said.
He also has a YouTube channel though he has not posted a song cover in over a year.
Jonathan moved to Los Angeles after his America’s Got Talent success. He was looking for his big break in the music industry. He was actually homeless and struggling a bit with PTSD while he was there causing him to leave. But, he decided to give it another shot and move back.
After stepping out of the ‘AGT’ spotlight for a little while, he recently announced on Twitter that he has been clean and sober for 30 days. He posted a selfie looking nearly unrecognizable.
Jonathan also posted that he was considering another career path if singing doesn’t work out. You probably never would have guessed that he tweeted about possibly doing porn.