News that Justin Guarini had fallen far from his American Idol days and now has been skipping meals to ensure his family eats shocked fans of the reality show — particularly ones that have been watching since season one.
Justin Guarini narrowly lost to Kelly Clarkson, who has since gone on to become a popular international star. But after their joint film From Justin To Kelly flopped, we haven’t heard much from the curly-haired singer that was AI’s first runner up.
Until a recent Oprah profile, that is. As The Inquisitr reported earlier, Guarini admitted that the post-Idol days haven’t been all stress-free.
Justin says he has a wife and two beautiful kids, but that as fame fades, life has grown a bit more taxing. He admitted in his original post to not always eating to “make sure my children and my wife have enough,” and said:
“I found out that I was dropped from the record label, and dropped by the management company that comes with American Idol via Saturday Night Live. I didn’t get a phone call. I didn’t get an e-mail.”
After that setback, Justin says he suffered depression:
“That really began a process of completely going in myself. At every turn there was someone putting me down for something, and that lead to be not getting out of bed in the morning… [but] I have a wife whom I love and who loves me (me!) and who lifts me up. Children who give me cherubic-lipped kisses before I leave for work and who are the most delicious morsels of joy and peace and prosperity.”
It’s hard to say what Guarini meant when he said those things, because he was insulted and upset by subsequent coverage of the comments.
After the quotes spread, he tweeted:
Obviously you completely missed the point of my letter @peoplemag . News isn’t news anymore, and I’m nowhere near poverty. #twistedmytruth
— Justin Guarini (@justin_guarini) August 15, 2013
Guarini also retweeted fan support:
@justin_guarini @peoplemag love your mag but you owe my good friend an apology its utterly ridiculous get your facts straight!
— Taisha Webster (@Tai00) August 15, 2013
What do you think of Justin Guarini’s most recent update?