Products in this story are independently selected and featured editorially. If you make a purchase using these links we may earn commission. American Idol‘s Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon is moving forward in more ways than one. During Sunday night’s episode of the ABC series, the 26-year-old Maryland-based singer found out that he made it into the top 20 of the competition after revealing that his parents were still having a hard time accepting his sexuality. Get push notifications with news, features and more. “It has been a really difficult past few months for me,” Harmon said during the show. “My parents still have not been able to accept me being gay. I’m no longer working as a janitor at my dad’s church. I decided to move out and that was a difficult choice to make. I felt like it was the healthiest thing for me to do. Being a part of this show has been good for me in one way, but it has also been a big challenge for me. I’m just being very public about my story and it’s causing a lot of change in my life right now.” Back at the New York auditions, Harmon moved the judges with his original song and his humble beginnings working as a janitor. While speaking with Bobby Bones ahead of his performance in Hawaii — where each contestant in the top 40 performed in front of a live crowd — Harmon revealed that he chose Fleetwood Mac's “Landslide” because of his emotional connection to the song. “I remember one day after having a tough conversation with my parents, I went to bed that night and listened to that song and really connected to it,” Harmon said. “I want my parents to know that I love them no matter what and that I’m sorry for disappointing them and not turning out to be everything that they dreamed of.” Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon | Credit: ABC After a beautiful performance of “Landslide” without his signature piano, Harmon started to cry as he said he wished his whole family was there to see it. “I just got to keep telling myself that I can do this,” he said. “I’m doing this for me, I’m doing this for everyone who has been outcast by their loved ones. I know this isn’t just my experience. If I can be open about it and vulnerable, then maybe that can bring hope to somebody else.” He added: “I was going to dedicate that song to my mom and dad. They were on my mind when I sang that. I just want them to know that I love them and I tried to communicate that.” When it came time to meet with judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan to find out if he had made it into the top 20, Harmon was met with some words of encouragement from Perry who talked about her similar upbringing as a pastor’s daughter. “Look, you’re a pastor’s kid, I’m a pastor’s kid — we have a lot in common,” Perry told Harmon. “I don’t know about you, but for me, I was always being watched. Then I started to find my true voice. Can you imagine when my first single was “I Kissed a Girl” and my parents, how they reacted? It was difficult for me because I felt very alone in what is supposed to be a very exciting time in my life. It has taken some time, but we’ve all come around to agree to disagree. I just want to say from one pastor’s kid to another that I see you and I love you and I accept you and I’m so proud of you.” Screen Shot 2019-03-29 at 4.59.50 PM copy Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon | Credit: ABC RELATED VIDEO: American Idol Contestant Shows How Far She’s Come in Emotional Hollywood Week Clip It was then that Harmon found out that he would be moving on to the live shows — and even though his family wasn’t with him in Hawaii, he was able to celebrate the exciting news with another special someone: his boyfriend, John. “I’m going to tell my family the news,” he said. “Hopefully it’s met with smiles.”<doc-sep>The Sunday May 5 episode of “American Idol” spotlighted the Top 6. Each of these half dozen finalists sang two tunes: one from the summer of 1969 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock musical festival and another chosen as inspirational by Grammy-winning Christian singer Lauren Daigle, who got her start on the show. As the show was seen live from coast-to-coast, America cast votes for their favorites in real-time. The results were revealed by host Ryan Seacrest at the end of the two-hour episode. The top four vote-getters — Alejandro Aranda, , Wade Cota, Laine Hardy and Madison VanDenburg — moved on in the competition to be crowned winner of season 17. The bottom two — Laci Kaye Booth and Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon — were to be eliminated unless the judges chose to use their single save of the season. After a nerve-wracking few moments, Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie opted to throw a lifeline to Laci. Do you think this was the right decision or was Jeremiah robbed of a place in the Top 5? Take a look at the list of songs that each has sung throughout the competition and then cast your ballot as to who should have moved on to the Top 5 on May 12. Laci Kaye Booth Top 40: “Georgia on My Mind” by Ray Charles Top 20 Solo: “I Want You To Want Me” by Cheap Trick Top 20 Duet: with Brett Young on “Mercy” by Young Top 14 Song 1: “I Miss You” by Blink 182 Top 14 Song 2: “As Long as You Follow” by Fleetwood Mac Top 10 Song: “I See the Light” from “Tangled” Top 8 Song: “Love of My Life” by Queen Top 6 Song 1: “Open Arms” by Journey Top 6 Song 2: “To Love Somebody” by Janis Joplin SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s newsletter with experts’ latest predictions Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon Top 40: “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac Top 20 Solo: “(To) Make You Feel My Love” by Bob Dylan Top 20 Duet: with Cynthia Erivo on “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper Top 14 Song 1: We All Fall in Love Sometimes” by Elton John Top 14 Song 2: “Almost Heaven” (original song) Top 10 Song: “Candle on the Water” from “Pete’s Dragon” Top 8 Song: “Who Wants to Live Forever” by Queen Top 6 Song 1: “Somewhere” by Barbra Streisand Top 6 Song 2: “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” by Joan Baez DISCUSS All things “American Idol” with TV insiders in our notorious forums<doc-sep>Spoiler alert! Contains details from Sunday's episode of "American Idol." Days after we predicted he could win the whole thing, our favorite "American Idol" contestant has been sent packing. Red-haired crooner Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon was shockingly eliminated from the ABC singing competition Sunday, after landing in the bottom two along with Laci Kaye Booth. Pressed to use their one save of the season as the end credits rolled, the judges voted for Booth to stay on the show as it moves into the Top 5 round next week. Their decision to keep Booth over Harmon was a head-scratcher, given her underwhelming set of performances during the episode. The judges were critical of her wooden rendition of Janis Joplin's "To Love Somebody," imploring her to engage with the crowd and not merely stand in one place. They were more receptive of her take on Journey showstopper "Open Arms," although viewers weren't as impressed, tweeting that her "voice isn't strong enough" and it was the "wrong song" for her. Harmon, meanwhile, delivered a one-two punch: wowing the judges with his vocal runs on gospel hymn "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," and reaching new emotional heights with the stunning "Somewhere" from "West Side Story," which perfectly showed off his seemingly limitless range. "I was locked in every single word, every single syllable; you did so great," Katy Perry said afterward. Luke Bryan noted that Harmon got off to a shaky start, before adding, "From halfway through the song to the end, it was just incredible. Incredible." Lionel Richie was the most effusive in his praise, saying, "You cannot study mesmerizing. The audience was completely locked in on you. You killed it tonight." It's a heartbreaking end of the road for Harmon, 26, a Catonsville, Maryland, native who once worked as a janitor at his father's church before coming out as gay. The singer-songwriter has been candid all season-long about his struggle for acceptance from his conservative parents, who finally attended an "Idol" taping last week. Three more episodes remain of this season of "Idol," with the Top 5 battling it out Sunday (8 EDT/PDT) before the two-part finale begins May 19.<doc-sep>
Sunday night's episode of 'American Idol' came as a shock to most fans when they got to know who made the cut and who didn't. For their performances, the Top 6 sang a song from 1969's Woodstock Festival and songs that inspired them. Once the contestants were done with their performances, the votes were tallied and the Top 4 contestants were revealed. Sadly, Laci Kaye Booth and Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon didn't make it to the Top 4 and were the two contestants eliminated. But judges — Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie — decided to use their only save for this season. Though most fans expected the judges to save Harmon, they were once again left disappointed as the judges chose to save Booth and send her to the next round making it the Top 5 contestants. The ABC Television Network JEREMIAH LLOYD HARMON, RYAN SEACREST, LACI KAYE BOOTH(ABC/Eric McCandless) After fans and viewers watched this happen, some speculated that the judges decided to save Booth so that there are more women left in the competition, and a few speculated that it is because of her commercial appeal and because she has more room to grow than Harmon. "I think everyone in the top 6 are great in their own way. But I was surprised that they chose Laci over Jeremiah. I can’t help but wonder if they saved her so there was more than one woman left," a fan wrote on Reddit. A fan said, "I've heard everyone saying there was an ulterior motive... it definitely seems that way. Even Laci was like 'why!?'" Another fan speculated, "Laci has more commercial appeal. Period. They both have potential for a great career, but Laci is more marketable right now. On a personal note, I have loved Jeremiah since the beginning, but Laci has scratched her way into my begrudging enjoyment, and the woman has talent. Jeremiah has not been shining the last few weeks. I was surprised but not shocked to see Jeremiah go home." The ABC Television Network LACI KAYE BOOTH(ABC/Eric McCandless) Adding to that, another fan said, "They may also have saved her because she has more room to grow. Jeremiah doesn't really need the coaching by this point, he's pretty polished as a musician and a performer, in comparison. I’m hoping he’ll use the momentum that he’s gained here and really take off with it. He has a much better chance of going solo at this point than any of the others in the top 6, except probably Alejandro." We might not know the exact reason why the judges chose to save Booth instead of Harmon, but one thing is for sure, Booth will have to perform her best if she wants to get more votes next week and advance into the finals. 'American Idol' season 17 airs every Sunday night on ABC. Check your local listings for more information. If you have an entertainment scoop or a story for us, please reach out to us on (323) 421-7515