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Is ‘American Idol’ Rigged? New TV Show Unearths Voting Fraud Claims

A new TV show digs into conspiracy theories from the early years of “American Idol,” aiming to answer the question of whether the show is — or ever was — rigged.

On August 31, 2022, AXS TV aired the season 2 premiere of “Music’s Greatest Mysteries,” featuring a panel of music journalists who weighed in on conspiracy theories and claims of fraud that have long plagued one of television’s longest-running talent competitions.

Show Reveals How Phone Company May Have Swayed the Vote




In “Music’s Greatest Mysteries,” music journalist Ivory called “the Adam Lambert versus Kris Allen situation” during season 8 the worst case of possible fraud in the show’s history.

“Every week Adam Lambert was knocking ’em dead but Kris Allen ends up winning,” he said.

After the grand finale in 2009, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette revealed that “American Idol” sponsor AT&T may have swayed the vote toward Allen, who was from Conway, Arkansas. Most viewers had to cast their votes by calling a number on their TV screen, but AT&T customers were allowed to text their votes.

In “Music’s Greatest Mysteries,” the expert panel talked about how AT&T customers could “power vote” by voting for the same contestant up to 10 times per text. In addition, viewing parties were held in Arkansas — but not in Adam Lambert’s home state of California — where AT&T reps handed out sample phones and showed people how to text in their votes for free.

Fox and AT&T denied any wrongdoing and insisted all voting tabulations were fair. But New York Z100 radio host Maxwell still can’t believe what went down that year.

“AT&T salesmen literally went to Kris Allen viewing parties and taught fans how to power vote,” he said. “There was, in fact, one person who had said that he had voted nearly 11,000 times.”

Parker added, “I don’t know if it makes ‘American Idol’ criminal, but it definitely makes it shady.”

The potential fraud was a huge controversy at the time, and Lambert’s fans were incredibly upset. But Lambert and Allen had become close friends on the show, and both have enjoyed success.

Allen’s first single, “Live Like We’re Dying” sold more than a million copies in 2009, and despite some setbacks along the way, he continues to release new music, often tours with fellow “Idol” winner David Cook, and is also a dad. Lambert, meanwhile, became the frontman for the iconic band Queen two years after “Idol,” just wrapped up their latest tour, and has had a very successful career as a solo artist, too.