Sophia Michaels
Jamar Rogers has been especially candid about his experience with reality television, both as it pertains to his singing as well as his personal story. Rogers has said that he shared details about his past drug use when a contestant on “American Idol,” but that the show was not receptive to featuring his personal narrative. This was presumably when Rogers auditioned alongside friend Danny Gokey, whose own story was heavily featured as he made it to the finals during Season 8. Since Rogers did not do as well as Gokey, he auditioned again the next year — then dropped out (he also auditioned during Season 3). “And the reason I dropped out is when I was going through the audition rounds again, for the third time, I knew the executive producers, we were on a first-name basis, and they were still just saying things that made me feel really crappy about myself,” he told Yahoo! Entertainment’s Reality Rocks.
After “Idol,” Rogers tried his hand at “The Voice,” appearing as a contestant on Season 2 in 2012. He was eliminated in the semifinals, and in a 2021 interview he did with TVBrittanyF.com, said he did not have good memories from that time. “I was depressed for years. I took my loss very personally. Not only did I feel rejected by America, but rejected by my idol, [CeeLo Green],” he told the blog. Rogers did, however, get to share his personal narrative on “The Voice,” including his recovery from meth addiction and his HIV diagnosis.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
