'America's Got Talent' star Jackie Evancho says grown men 'wanted to hurt' her
'America's Got Talent' winner Jackie Evancho was 10 years old when she was thrust into the spotlight. Now 18, Evancho returned to 'America's Got Talent: The Champions' and revealed she's faced numerous threats to her life since becoming a child star, leaving her with sometimes debilitating anxiety and a distrust of most people who aren't in her family.
"America's Got Talent" winner Jackie Evancho was 10 years old when she was named runner-up in the NBC competition series and 16 when she sang the national anthem at President Donald Trump's inauguration in January 2017.
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Now 18, Evancho returned to "America's Got Talent: The Champions" and revealed she's faced numerous threats to her life since becoming a child star, leaving her with sometimes debilitating anxiety and a distrust of most people who aren't in her family.
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"With the onset of a New Year and me entering adulthood as a 18 year old moving to New York, I felt the need to put this out into the universe as a way of continuing the healing process I'm on. I no longer have the fear to stay silent. People often still think of me as a child star, and that isn't easy to shake off," she wrote in a lengthy Facebook post on Wednesday. "I just performed on NBC’s AGT’s The Champions and it allowed me to reflect on my journey – the reason I wanted to do the show was to walk onto that stage as a young woman and show the world I am no longer a child."
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She explained the stigmas associated with child stardom, but defended her parents' decision to thrust her into the spotlight before she even began middle school, saying they balanced her work and playtime and that she's still shy and awkward around others her age. She also explained that her mother's chronic illness led her to a lot of isolation and loneliness in hotel rooms when they traveled — and that rumors of her being a "diva" as a kid hurt her ability to make friends.
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"I trust absolutely no one unless they are family or have passed through years of my life without hurting me in some way," she continued. "Throughout my childhood I was also facing another reality - that there were men out there who wanted to hurt me. Some even went to the extreme of claiming they were priests and other disarming occupations to gain trust and easy access backstage, but clearly their intentions weren't so pure ... There was the fear of stalkers and other dangers of being in the spotlight that my family and I had to deal with."
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Despite all of her dangers and struggles, Evancho insists she wants nothing more than to continue performing for a living.
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"I'm now 18 and responsible for my own life – a young adult. I now live in New York where I can focus more on work and also live in a creative environment – I want to learn and grow," she wrote. "I like making my own decisions, and while listening to the people close to me, I'm ultimately steering my own ship. My love for music is profound – it's what drives me and transforms me. I've learned and been through so much, but this is my journey and I look forward to a bright future for the next phase of my life."
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