‘American Idol' Season 1 Was ‘Very Cruel,’ Former Co-Host Brian Dunkleman Recalls

Brian Dunkleman was a significant part of American Idol's inaugural season as he was Ryan Seacrest's co-host. Still, he had to leave the entertainment industry to focus on his family. The former host recently shared some shocking things he witnessed while in the reality TV singing competition series.

The former host recently appeared in an episode of the Still Here Hollywood podcast with Steve Kmetko, in which he reflected on his time on the show and remembered some of the most unforgettable moments from the audition process.

"You're spending a lot of time with these kids in the line, and you're getting to know them, you're getting to know their parents. There was a stretch for an hour straight where kid after kid came, [and] every one of them was bawling. And I thought, 'What is going on?'" he said.

He later found himself crying behind the curtain as he was affected by the contestants who never went through to the next round. He likened his experiences to them as he had also auditioned many times and knew that it wasn't easy.

Dunkleman also remembered a young girl whose carpenter dad had sold his tools to afford their trip to the location where she would audition.

The girl was "so excited" to face the judges, but when she came out of the room, her eyes were dead, and she was shattered.

"I just didn't understand why that was necessary... But it was very, very cruel that first season," he said.

Regardless, he still thought that it was the exact reason the show became a massive hit: how strict and mean Simon Cowell was, to the point that he got death threats in England.

Later, Dunkleman clarified that he didn't want to "bad mouth anybody" from the show, but he believes that American Idol's set-up was unkind.

"I don't believe that you should set kids up to be humiliated like that," he added.

Further reflecting on his time on the show, he remembered that Cowell was a "really nice guy" with a good sense of humor. He also adored Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson, whom he described as "really sweet guys."

Dunkleman then set the record straight about his departure from the show. He said many people thought he was fired, but the truth was he left the limelight to raise his son.

Tags

American Idol, News, Music