When The Voice contestant, Jamar Rogers revealed he was HIV positive on the show Monday night, those of you who remember him as Danny Gokey’s best friend from Season 8 of Idol, were probably surprised. He never revealed his diagnosis on the air–not even to Idol producers as he tells the New York Post:
Jamar Rogers — a food bank volunteer from The Bronx — auditioned for Seasons 8 and 9 of “American Idol” without ever disclosing he was living with HIV.
“I remember being completely petrified throughout that entire process that the producers would find out,” he says. “Maybe my roommate would find out. I just lived with this massive cloud over my head.”
Now, his secret is out.
Rogers 29, shared his condition with almost 20 million viewers when he auditioned Monday night for another singing show — NBC’s “The Voice.”
“I decided to come clean because, at some point, you have to decide that you want to live for something greater than yourself,” says Rogers, who landed a spot on Team Cee Lo.
When Jamar auditioned for Idol in the summer of 2008, only his best friend, Danny Gokeyknew his secret. Jamar says Idol producers knew about his drugs past, but opted not to use it on the show. “But ‘Idol’ is a different kind of show. Their audience is more conservative,” he says.
Hm. The Voice’s audience is a little younger, but I’m not sure if they are more conservative. If Jamar goes deep into the competition, we’ll see if his dark past hurts him or not. I think it’ll help, especially if he’s good. It would have helped him on Idol too. Everybody loves a good redemption story.
