An American Idol cast-off is seeking US$300 million from the show's producers, claiming he was discriminated against for being gay.
Ian Bernando rushed the stage during the 2010 finale in a mock Kanye West moment, grabbing the microphone from comedian Dane Cook. He'd been invited back for the finale after becoming a sensation when he auditioned for the show in 2007 and 'flipped out' on host Simon Cowell.
Bernando claims producers encouraged the 2010 finale stunt, then discriminated against him. The New York Daily News reports he has lodged a complaint with the New York State Human Rights Division that alleges the Idol set "was permeated with discriminatory intimidation, ridicule, insults and hostile and offensive comments."
He says producers gave him endless anti-gay nicknames and asked him inappropriate questions about his sexuality.
"They encouraged me to be totally outlandish, they wanted me to dress in drag and kept using anti-gay slurs to tell me how to behave," he says.
The 29-year-old says he has suffered panic attacks since the finale show and can't live a normal life.
Watch the video of Ian Bernando's finale interruption below:
