‘American Idol’ runner-up Megan Danielle on claims show was ‘rigged’ for Iam Tongi

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By Angela Barbuti

May 27, 2023 | 7:20am

It was just “Idol” chatter.

“American Idol” Season 21 runner-up Megan Danielle rejected the claim by some fans unhappy with the finale that the competition was rigged.

“I would say that it isn’t just because, you know, I feel like God made all of this happen for a reason,” the 21-year-old said in her first public comments about the controversy.

“Even if I was first, second, last, whatever … I feel like any of us really deserved it.”

The former waitress gushed about winner Iam Tongi, who took the No. 1 prize on the ABC singing series season finale on May 21.

The Hawaiian recently lost his father, and some said sympathy votes earned him top honors.

“I feel like Iam was deserving and he’s so humble and so talented,” Danielle said.

“And this was his time and I’m just super proud of him.”

Part of Danielle’s backstory revealed on the show was that her father left the family when she was 7, and her grandfather, Chuck Bass — “the most important person” in her life — died last year.

She said she wept during the finale while singing Journey’s “Faithfully” after seeing her grandfather on screen, but it was edited out.

“Watching my grandpa on the screen, I know he’s proud of me,” she said.

Her estranged father has “reached out a little bit, just normally when I come on TV,” she said.

At first, Danielle, who competed on “The Voice” in 2020, was hesitant to try out for “Idol.”

“I chickened out, never wanted to do it,” she said. “And then I actually got a DM from one of the producers on ‘Idol’ asking me to audition.”

Her initial tryouts were online, and then she traveled to Hollywood and appeared before “Idol” judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan to sing “You Say” by Lauren Daigle.

“I was more nervous than I’ve ever been,” she admitted.

Bryan, she said, was one of her “biggest fans,” and the “humble and genuine” Richie reminded her of her grandfather.

Perry, who has made headlines for her “nasty” attitude, was hard on Danielle in the beginning.

“I heard a comment of hers … that she didn’t know if I was a superstar or not. And really I tried my best not to be offended by that,” she said.

“I tried to take that as, ‘Well, let me show her that I am.’”

Danielle is a devout Christian, so told the show’s wardrobe department when she felt clothing was too revealing.

“There were some times when maybe they want a different outfit. And I’m like, ‘Well, you know, I’m more of a classier Christian,’” she explained.

Before the show, she was a server at the same restaurant as her mother but has since quit to pursue music.

“I think this is a time where God has wanted me to wait on some opportunities that are coming my way,” she said.

“So I’m just trying to be patient.”

She is still close with her castmates and keeps in touch with her fellow Top-12 finalists through their group text.

“Really we’re just talking about the show and just how proud we are of each other,” she said.

“We’re a big friend group. That’s the best part of the whole thing — the friends you make.”