Iam Tongi has been a center of controversy since winning the recent season of "American Idol" and many online users have been sharing hurtful comments about him. Fortunately, he has a solid fanbase that would always come to his defense.
According to Daily Mail UK, one user commented on the winner's Instagram post, saying the Hawaiian-born singer will "look good on his resume when he applies to be a greeter" at an airport located in a tropical island while giving away flower necklaces, also known as leis.
The hurtful remark immediately garnered responses from fans, defending the singer by telling the internet troll to spread love and not hate.
Tongi made history at the reality TV singing competition as he was the first Tongan and Samoan heritage to ever win the show.
As of this writing, the singer has not publicly commented on the matter.
Iam Tongi Prepared for Public Backlash Long Before Joining 'American Idol'
The winner recently spoke with the outlet where he noted that he was already prepared for public scrutiny way before he joined the competition as his father warned him about it.
"My dad always told me that your music's not meant for everyone. There's going to be people that are not going to like it and that's OK, that's normal," he told the outlet. (via Page Six)
Aside form hateful comments on his social media accounts, Tongi was also bashed as many people believed that his win was not fair.
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Some users expressed hate on social media, saying his competitor Colin Stough was the one deserving of the title.
Despite receiving negative comments online, Tongi remains grounded and revealed that he "loves" it when people are mad.
Even though the two singers were constantly being compared with one another, the winner said there were no hard feelings between them and he couldn't wait to hang out and "have fun" with him again.
Iam Tongi on 'American Idol' Judges
Elsewhere in the interview, the musician reacted about the current judges of the competition which includes Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Katy Perry.
The "Teenage Dream" songstress became controversial last season after the comments she made on some of the contestants, including one where many believed that the pop star mom-shamed.
For Iam Tongi, he enjoyed his time with the trio as he loved interacting with them. He also mentioned that the contestants would miss Katy Perry's love and support and he would miss her if ever she decided to step down from the judges' panel.
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