Samantha Diaz, also known as Just Sam, became the first Lesbian to win American Idol, and fans are upset about her win.
Samantha grew up with her grandmother, who adopted Samantha and her sister. When she was in grade school, kids would mistake her for a boy. Sam said in an episode of American Idol, "In High school, they didn't know which category to put me in. I wasn't a girl, not a boy, but both. And I'm like, Just Sam...It sounds perfect. I think I am going to use that as my stage name forever." Just Sam grabbed the audience and judges attention with her story. Every week she took a risk with the songs she performed. Her most memorable performance was when she went to Hawaii and song a Selena song entirely in Spanish. The judges were speechless and instantly fell in love with her. Covid-19 made American Idol contestants perform virtually. All contestants were sent home with a ring light and tripods to hold their phones. All contestants went back except for Just Sam. American Idol paid for her a hotel in Los Angeles because she did not want to get her grandmother sick. During the finale episode, Arthur Gunn and Just Sam were the last two contestants left. Many people thought that Arthur was the obvious winner; however, they thought wrong. Ryan Seacrest announced that the next American Idol is Just Sam. Samantha was speechless and could not believe what she was hearing. She had her grandmother on FaceTime and held it up to the camera. Sam's grandmother was seen lifting her hands and praising Jesus. Viewers of American Idol believed that Arthur Gunn was supposed to be the winner. They also thought that American Idol staged Just Sam to win because of her sad story. Since the winner was announced live, the West coast did not have a chance to vote, meaning that she did not have American votes. Also, Just Sam was the only contestant in the finale that lived on the east coast. While there is a lot of hate, Just Sam did make history being the first Lesbian to win American Idol.