Arthur Gunn Skips ‘Idol’ Finale Due to ‘Unpleasant Environmental Experiences’
ABC Reading Time: 3 minutes
Chayce Beckham was crowned the new winner during the American Idol Season 19 finale. But fans of the show could not stop wondering what happened to Arthur Gunn. The 23-year-old was supposed to perform with Sheryl Crow, but ultimately never made it to the stage. Instead, Top 16 standout Graham DeFranco sang in his place.
Just three hours before the finale, American Idol posted a picture of Arthur and Crow together gearing up for their big performance. At the last second, Graham stepped in to perform in what became the biggest mystery of the night. Graham and Crow performed a medley of her hits “Every Day Is a Winding Road” and “If It Makes You Happy.”
Arthur Gunn Speaks Out After Missing the ‘American Idol’ Finale
After American Idol posted an Instagram picture of Crow and Graham together, the comments section was flooded with questions about Arthur. Twitter users echoed those same questions and hoped that he was OK.
Arthur finally broke his silence on Instagram early this morning to explain his absence from the star-studded finale event. To make it up to Crow, he invited her to perform at his July 30 show at The Cotillion.
“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,” he wrote. “It’s not necessary to state it, it is what it is, so I felt like I had to move on, It’s not the show @americanidol to blame, they were there long before nor anyone related to show.”
Even the American Idol judges were not sure exactly what happened with Arthur’s scheduled finale performance. Ryan Seacrest did give Graham props during the show for stepping in at the very last second.
“He literally came to cheer,” Luke Bryan said in a post-finale interview. “He was there to support Chayce [Beckham], and we’re pulling him out of the crowd going, ‘You’re gonna sing with Sheryl Crow’ and he’s like, ‘Hell yeah!'”
Arthur was the ‘Comeback Kid’ This Season
Despite whatever went down leading up to Arthur’s decision to skip the finale, he is still “grateful” for the platform American Idol gave him.
“I feel upset about it as much as all you might have, and I’m sorry if I did let down anyone but I felt like all these confrontations didn’t need to happen at the show, so I just had to move on from there, sometimes all we can do is move on!!!” he added.
Arthur competed on Season 18 of American Idol and was named the runner-up. Many felt like he was robbed and labeled him as the defacto winner. He was supposed to appear on Live with Kelly and Ryan the morning after the American Idol finale last season, but canceled his appearance and was put on vocal rest.
This season, American Idol announced a special comeback allowing one Season 18 contestant the opportunity to rejoin the competition. It was a no-brainer for America when they chose Arthur to return to the competition. Many even thought he could potentially win the whole show. When it came time to cut the Top 7 down to the Top 5, Arthur and Hunter Metts were shockingly sent packing.
