‘American Idol’ Contestant and Early Favorite Jurnee’s Biggest Fan Is Her Wife Ashley
We're putting our money on Jurnee! The 18-year-old singer from Denver is an early favorite to win American Idol — and she credits her wife and biggest fan Ashley Weathers for getting her through. Jurnee revealed on the show how she struggled with her sexual orientation before coming out.
"At time I would be dating guys just to test and make sure I wasn't missing out on anything," she said during her audition. "It wasn't until my freshman year that I knew for sure that guys were not for me. They are not my cup of tea. So I came out to my family who was extremely accepting and it's just been rainbows, pun intended, ever since." She went on to explain how she met her "soul mate" Ashley, who serves in the military, at a party.
"We always say we started dating the first day we met," she explained. "She proposed to me on this big, pretty waterfall and we ended up getting married. My wife is a soldier in the Army and she's actually set to deploy soon. I'm so proud of her because there's a lot of people that would be able to go out there. I know I wouldn't be able to go out there and do that."
She continued, "My wife is a huge supporter of my singing. It means everything to me to make her proud. She really helped me find myself… really knowing who I am has given me the chance to change my entire life and hopefully inspire someone else to put their full life and dreams out there as well." Luckily, Ashley was able to catch Jurnee singing "Never Enough" by Loren Allred during her Idol showcase performance.
"Tonight is a special night because my beautiful wife was able to make it here," she said before wowing the judges. "I love you." And she was just the good luck Jurnee needed — landing her in the Top 24. Fans have also been tweeting their support for the couple. "I know it’s a singing competition, but kudos to Jurnee and her wife Ashley for being proudly unabashedly gay on national TV. Representation matters and, no doubt, many LGBTQ folk will see parts of themselves in her story," one viewer wrote. Another added, "@Jurnee and her wife are so adorable and I get chills when she sings." Same girl, same.
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