americanidol via YouTube
Matt Farmer, a contestant on 'American Idol,' now admits that his claims of surffering brain damage from an IED in Iraq were made up.Â
It was Matthew Farmer's heartbreaking tale of his service in Iraq as much as his vocal prowess that impressed the "American Idol" judges on Wednesday night.
Now Farmer admits that his claim of a traumatic brain injury from an IED explosion in Iraq was false.
"It was all lies," Farmer, 26, confessed on Guardians of Valor.
Farmer, who appeared on the Jan. 30 episode of "Idol" auditioning in Long Beach, Calif., had woven a story of years spent recovering after an IED attack had landed him in the hospital with brain damage. On "Idol," Farmer claimed that the attack had led to PTSD, as well as to him taking medicine that made him sterile.
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In fact, though Farmer served in the Army, he was never injured in combat, Fox News reports.
"I am extremely remorseful and very upset that I allowed myself to take from the hard work of the guys that I was deployed with among others," Farmer wrote.
"To think that I would go on a national TV show and get away with continuing a lie so big … is ridiculous."
Soldiers who served with Farmer claim that Farmer's injury came from mixing Accutane, a prescription medication for acne, and alcohol.
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Farmer denies allegations that he was sent home for unauthorized use of medicine. He blames the producers of "American Idol" for distorting his story through editing.
The contestant, who sang Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" for the judging panel, blames "Idol" for focusing on his war stories rather than on his little girl, who accompanied him to the audition.
Farmer accuses the editors of "chopping up" parts of his interview and focusing unduly on his story of being medically evacuated from Iraq.
But fellow Iraqi veterans are livid.
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"[He's] a fraud," said Sgt. David Johnson, one of Farmer's colleagues.
"His actions endangered the rest of his platoon and company."
Farmer charmed the judges enough to get sent on to the Hollywood round. But now, Farmer disclosed to TV Guide, he is no longer with the show.Â
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Matt Farmer - Long Beach Audition - American... by IdolxMuzic
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