Carnie Wilson Defends Daughter’s American Idol Audition After ‘Cruel’ Comments: ‘Pissing Me Off’

The singer, who is one-third of the iconic ’90s trio Wilson Phillips, made headlines last Sunday when she and her sister, and fellow bandmate, Wendy Wilson joined her daughter Lola on American Idol.

The ladies were also joined by Carnie’s husband, and Lola’s father, Rob Bonfiglio, for the viral moment that saw Lola join the Wilson sisters for their rendition of the 1992 Wilson Phillips classic “Hold On.”

This past Sunday, though, Carnie reunited with both Wendy and Chynna Phillips Baldwin for the Music of the ’90s panel at 90s Con in Hartford, Connecticut, and she had some very pointed comments about how the last seven days have unfolded since that moment aired.

Calling that audition the “scariest” thing her daughter “has ever done,” according to People, Carnie said her daughter “was trembling with nerves.”

But the moment went great, and when the judges found out her famous connection and who was there with her, Carnie and Wendy were invited, “so we came and crashed the party.”

Carnie said she and her sister had no idea the judges would even know they were outside waiting for Lola, so the moment caught them by surprise, too. But they also didn’t think all that much about it because, “We love singing with her, and she sings with us on tour sometimes.”

“She’s a really inspiring artist,” Carnie said of her daughter. Unfortunately, she’s not seeing that same enthusiasm for her daughter’s talents online, which she said has been hard for both her and Lola to see and take in.

“We’re human, and the Internet is so cruel, and the comments are really pissing me off, and I can’t respond,” Carnie lamented to her bandmates, and the crowd.

“Would you encourage a doctor’s son not to be a doctor?” she asked. “Lola wants to be a singer, and they say these terrible things. And she was so hurt.”

When Chynna tried to encourage Carnie by saying that she’d seen a lot of positive comments, according to People, Carnie shot back that the “majority” that she’d seen were negative. She wanted the people behind those messages to understand that these are “real people with hearts and souls” they’re attacking.

As for Lola, she encourages her daughter to pursue her passions as a musician and artist, “because she loves to sing.”

“I’m so proud of her that she was even brave enough to audition,” she added. “She sounds so beautiful. I’m so excited for her future. She has a stunning voice.”

The judges clearly agreed, sending Lola on to Hollywood with three yeses after her take on Kacey Musgraves’ “Rainbow” for her solo audition moment.

Like Lola, the original members of Wilson Phillips are legacy artists themselves, with each coming from famous musical parents. Carnie and Wendy are the daughters of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, while Phillips is the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas.

American Idol also isn’t the first time Lola has appeared on a reality television show, or shared the moment with her mom. Lola was a contestant on Fox’s We Are Family, where the judges had to try and guess her famous relative.

After the connection was revealed, she and Carnie joined forces, appropriately enough, on The Mamas & The Papas classic “California Dreamin’,” as noted by EntertainmentNow.

The outlet also revisited Lola’s prior connection to Idol, or at least that show’s first-ever winner. She and her family also appeared together on The Kelly Clarkson Show back in 2021, where they sang The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” alongside Clarkson.

Fans can follow Lola’s journey to Hollywood as American Idol expands to Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.