Former ‘American Idol’ Contestant Sues Show in Class Action, Claiming Wage Theft

Former American Idol contestant Normandy Vamos in an undated photo. Courtesy of Normandy Vamos

Former “American Idol” contestant Normandy Vamos is suing the show’s producers, alleging that she is a victim of wage theft and that she was treated as a “laughingstock” for the sake of “viral fame,” according to a press release on Tuesday.

Vamos auditioned for season 20 of the ABC talent show in February 2020, performing Tina Turner’s hit “Proud Mary.”

The 30-year-old filed a wage and hour class action lawsuit on Feb. 3 in Los Angeles Superior Court against ABC and the production companies behind the show on behalf of herself and unpaid or underpaid performers over the past four years.

In the lawsuit, the Baltimore native said that contestants from last season were asked to remain at a Los Angeles hotel to audition for the chance to advance to the “Hollywood Week” portion of the show.

Under California law, they should have been compensated as employees from the time they arrived at the hotel because their performances could possibly air on American Idol, Vamos’ lawyer Chantal Payto said in the release.

However, producers asked the contestants to be available for up to 15 hours a day with no compensation.

The lawsuit also alleges that contestants were made to sign “work-for-hire” contracts that signed away their copyrights to the performances.

Vamos is suing for failure to pay overtime wages, failure to pay minimum wage, and failure to provide uninterrupted rest periods, among other complaints.

“American Idol’s producers seem to feel they can break labor laws and exploit ambitious young performers simply because they may be eager for a shot at becoming the next Jennifer Hudson or Carrie Underwood,” Payton said.

“Vamos and other performers who create content for American Idol have rights as employees, but the producers have chosen to ignore those rights. They treated them as so-called volunteers, when in reality they are employees who should be paid.”

The singer also alleges she was made a “laughing stock” in the audition process for the sake of reality TV because of her high-pitched voice.

Before her audition in front of judges, the producers instructed Vamos to drive home to retrieve a carrot-shaped purse she owns in order to help create a viral moment.

The reality TV star explains the purse played a “prominent role” in the audition and alleged the contrast between her outfit and her surprisingly low-pitched singing voice “provided plenty of material for the judges to pick apart.”

(L-R) Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan attend the premiere event for "American Idol" hosted by ABC at Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California on Feb. 12, 2020. Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

Vamos won the approval of Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Katy Perry, but was later turned away due to the show’s cut-off age of 29.

“Reality TV isn’t always real. There’s a lot that happens behind the scenes,” Vamos said. “Myself and hundreds of people worked about a week with no pay.”

“I think a lot of reality TV participants aren’t aware that they have rights.”

Vamos has not disclosed exactly how much compensation she is requesting from American Idol producers.

American Idol representatives and ABC did not immediately return requests for comment.