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'AGT' Season 18: Heidi Klum slammed for 'emotionally manipulating' contestant Trent Toney’s ex-wife on national TV

In an 'uncomfortable' on-stage incident, contestant Trent Toney dedicates a song for his ex-wife

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA: 'America's Got Talent' had an unusual audition on Tuesday night, July 11 broadcast, and viewers were outraged. Judge Heidi Klum has been accused of "emotionally manipulating" contestant Trent Toney's ex-wife during an 'uncomfortable' on-stage moment.

On 'AGT', love was in the air as the Oregon singer attempted to reclaim his love with an 'absolutely beautiful' original song. Trent, a firefighter, from Hillsboro, Oregon, entered the 'AGT' competition with his keyboard for what Judge Sofia Vergara would soon call "the perfect audition." Other judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, and Heidi were pleased to hear Trent wrote a song specifically for his ex-wife, Faith. "I'm still in love with her," Trent admitted, much to everyone's surprise.

'Very brave to tell us all of that, I wouldn't'

Trent works as a fireman during the day, but on stage, he sings and plays the piano. He was noticeably uneasy on stage, but it didn't stop him from opening up about his personal life.

Trent explained that he just divorced and that the song he was going to sing for his ex-wife was written by him. The contestant's phone was taken by Heidi, who FaceTimed his ex-wife. Throughout the concert, Heidi stayed on the phone with Trent's ex, holding it up so she could watch. And before he started performing, Heidi was heard saying, "God, I hope he's good."

Fortunately, he had a terrific voice, and the audience liked him, giving him a standing ovation. The ex-wife appeared uncomfortable yet pleased with his performance. "Very brave to tell us all of that, I wouldn't," Simon stated of his recent broken relationship.

Trent obtained a unanimous yes from the panel of judges. Heidi hugged him and added, "If [the relationship] works out, and you have a girl, it better be called Heidi." During the performance, Howie also noticed that the ex-wife seemed emotional.

'Are we really pressuring a woman to take her ex husband back on national television?'

Viewers slammed 'AGT' especially Heidi for the stunt, one person tweeted, "Are we really pressuring a woman to take her ex husband back on national television right now? This is weird." Another person noted, "If my ex husband sung a song for me on National TV I would block his number." One user added, "Calling the dudes ex makes me cringe a bit. Seems a bit emotionally manipulative? I don’t know." A fourth user predicted, "Calling the ex always works. A tried and true strategy. Dude’ll be off the market before the end of the night."

One user further slammed the show, "This was the most manipulative thing I have seen on one of these shows. Actively rooting against him putting that kind of pressure on her on national TV and shame on you for pushing it. My favorite part was seeing she didn’t take him back." Another person added, "That audition was creepy." One user claimed, "That was awkward. I thought it was a joke or comedy act at first."

On Instagram, fans blasted Heidi saying, "She was so wrong to do it." Others felt, "Dude needs to move on." 

Tune into NBC on Tuesdays to catch new episodes of 'America's Got Talent' Season 18 at 8 pm ET.