Although Trey Louis received a unanimous "yes" from all the jurors and made it through his recent "American Idol" audition, it was not cloudless.
The show's broadcast revealed Louis was a survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at Santa Fe High School in which 10 people - 8 students and 2 teachers - were killed after a classmate began firing in the school's art complex. At the time it was considered the third-deadliest school shooting.
"[I] lost a lot of friends," said Louis, adding he was was in the classroom next to the one where the shooting took place. "It’s just really been negative, and Santa Fe’s had a bad rap since 2018."
This revelation shook "American Idol" judge Katy Perry to the core.
"Our country has f**king failed us!" she shouted. "You should be singing here because you love music, not because you had to go through that f**king bulls**t. ... You don’t have to lose eight friends. I hope that you remind people that we have to change. Cuz, you know, I’m scared, too."
Her colleagues Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, who were also choked up, attempted to console Perry with outstretched arms.
"It’s terrible, Katy. Horrible," Louis responded to Perry, while Richie with tears in his eyes added, "We have tolerated this for so long, too long. It’s become the norm."
At last count, more than 90 shootings have occurred in the US since the beginning of 2023.
So far, the Biden administration's action to ban assault weapons has been unsuccessful. Even if successful, Democrats may have to pay the price in political capital.