February 24, 2023
Watch: 'American Idol' Contestant Jon Wayne Hatfield Moves His Gay Grandpa to Tears
Emell Adolphus READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Grab your tissues! You need to watch this "American Idol" audition.
As reported by Country Now, contestant Jon Wayne Hatfield auditioned for judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Katy Perry with an original song called "Tell Me Ray," dedicated to his grandpa Ray who recently came out as gay.
The 21-year-old Hatfield explained that his grandpa raised him and was more like a father to him growing up in his small town in Ohio. His mom struggled with addiction so his grandparents stepped in.
"I lost my grandma about three years ago. After losing her, watching my grandpa was the hardest thing. He lost his best friend in 50 years. He wouldn't talk to anybody for about the first year and a half, not even me," Hatfield recalled. "I got mad at myself because I couldn't fix it, and he wasn't ready, and I understand that. I didn't see what he was actually going through."
As time passed, Ray revealed to Hatfield that he was gay, and that moment inspired him to write a song. Before singing, Ray was asked by the judges to join his grandson in the room.
About his decision to come out, Ray shared: "Jon is the last person I told because I was scared he'd stop loving me."
Hatfield promised his grandfather that he loves him no matter what and launched into an audition that brought the judges to tears.
The lyrics to "Tell Me Ray" go like this: "Tell me Ray / why don't you face your fears and hold back your tears / tell me Ray / tell me Ray / why did you wait so long to tell me what was wrong / tell me Ray / cause if I knew what was wrong / I could help you move on / you can't do it all yourself / we've had plenty of time / so keep me in mind / so tell me Ray / we're you too scared to move on or sad that she's gone."
"It's a big relief to stand here and be proud and say I'm gay and there's nothing wrong with it," Ray said. "My grandson, he's my rock."
See Hatfield's audition below and find out if he wowed the judges enough to be invited to Hollywood.
