Lionel Richie stormed off after ‘American Idol’ contestant mistook him for Wheel of Fortune’s Pat Sajak
Lionel Richie was blown away by an ‘American Idol’ contestant’s complete ignorance! When model and musician Louis Solywoda walked into the audition room, he exuded charisma and charm until he made the biggest blunder of not recognizing Lionel Richie. “Who is he?” Katy Perry excitedly asked the contestant while pointing at Richie. “I am stumped,” he replied. This made the ‘Stuck on You’ hitmaker leave his chair in disbelief and walk away from the set. “I've been in the industry for 243 years! I was there when the dinosaurs roamed the earth!” Richie screamed as he walked back into the audition stage. “Do you know how many awards this man has?” Perry retorted.
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Solywoda only made things worse when he asked, “Have you been doing ‘Wheel of Fortune’ or something?” This had Luke Bryan laughing out loud while Richie turned his chair to face the other side. “He said, 'Are you from ‘Wheel of Fortune,'" Perry repeated in disbelief. “Pat, turn around,” the contestant told Richie, further insulting him. The latter refused to turn and asked his fellow judges to carry on with the audition process.
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Later, Richie took to social media and addressed the same. “It's alright @Loudawg_. Next time I'm in Hawaii, I'll invite you to a show for a history lesson,” the singer penned. The audience had a mixed reaction to the incident. Some found it hilarious, while others slammed the contestant for not knowing the judge of the talent show he was auditioning for. “I love it. These millennials,” one Instagram user commented. “I am crying laughing!” another fan wrote. “'Wheel of fortune'!! He's smoking too much bad weed!!” a third chimed.
As the comments poured in, one also read, “I can't believe this guy doesn't even have any clue, but he really wants to be in the music.” “If he doesn't know @lionelrichie, he doesn't know music,” another opined. “I don't know why a contestant wouldn't know the judges before performing in front of them. I don't get it,” a netizen echoed. “He has to be taking the pi$$. Lionel is a legend, I feel insulted for him,” another fan wrote.
Eventually, Solywoda delivered a confident performance during the audition and was among the Top 24 contestants in season 18. Despite the blunder, Richie took the remarks lightheartedly, and it all worked out well for Solywoda. He went on to pursue a music career post ‘American Idol’ and released a few songs. However, none of his tracks caused buzz in the industry, nor did they appear on popular music charts. He recently launched a ‘Feel the Synergy’ campaign where music met Kombucha for a summer of exclusive playlists, emerging artists, and VIP prizes.
