An American Idol star who was raised a Mormon is shedding his ‘squeaky clean’ image and laying bare the trauma he once endured in his new memoir.
David Archuleta was just 16 when he catapulted to fame as the runner-up on season seven of American Idol.
A longtime member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Archuleta ultimately left the church in 2023 after coming out as queer.
Now 35, Archuleta is reflecting on his journey in his memoir, Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself.
In an interview with The Daily Mail, Archuleta, 35, described turning his back on the perfect veneer he strove to project and share his life story – flaws and all.
‘It’s a heavy book, but I wanted to go there. I felt like I’ve always kind of been like, happy and look how good my life is… teen pop star and Mormon, squeaky clean,’ he told The Daily Mail at the 2026 Queerties in Hollywood.
American Idol alum David Archuleta is embracing the good, bad, and ugly of his life in his new memoir, Devout; pictured at the 2026 Queerties
Archuleta was just 16 when he rose to fame as the runner-up on season seven of American Idol
‘It’s like, “Okay, life is messy.” It’s okay to talk about it and say: even when life is messy and you’ve got family drama and trauma and may second guess your self-worth and worthiness to even be around here, you can still get through all that… process it and be happy and feel comfortable.’
In 2021, Archuleta declared ‘God made me how I am ‘ as he came out as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
‘I’ve tried for almost 20 years to try and change myself until I realized God made me how I am for a purpose,’ he wrote. ‘And instead of hating what I have considered wrong I need to see why God loved me for who I am and that it’s not just sexuality. So many other traits of who I am come from how I’ve been created.’
But his Mormon faith conflicted with his sexuality and eventually, he made the decision to ‘step away’ from the religion he was once a devout follower of.
‘I just had to take a step away, take a break from religion — because for my own sanity, I did not want to weigh out whether it was better for me to live and exist, or if it was better for me not to exist,’ he told People.
‘It hurts me because my religion was everything for me. But you get to a point where you realize there are some things not right here. I need to just live my life, because I already know I’m okay how I am.’
Now removed from the Church and their rules, Archuleta was finally able to try coffee and alcohol for the first time, according to NBC News.
He also had his first kiss with a man at age 30.
His mother followed his lead and also left the church: ‘She said, ‘If you’re going to hell, then we’re all going to hell with you,”‘ he recalled in an interview with NBC News.
Archuleta’s new memoir, Devout, was released last month
Despite failing to capture the title of American Idol in 2008, Archuleta’s music career still took off
While his mother decided to cut ties with Mormonism, Archuleta was disappointed to see the friends he forged through his faith had distanced themselves from him.
‘I went to a funeral of one of the worldwide church leaders of the Mormon church a few days ago, and it was weird to step into it no longer being a part of it and see, “You know what? It seems like everyone has moved on from me as well,”‘ Archuleta told People in 2023.
‘The people I knew were just like, “Oh, hi.” I used to give them a hug and stuff, and now they’re just reaching out their hand,’ he continued. ‘I’m like, “I haven’t changed. I’m still trying to show my love to y’all,” but it’s like, “You know what? They’ve moved on from me. Why am I still hanging on to this.”‘
He added that he thinks his former friends ‘don’t think of me the same.’
‘They were cold with me, and so it’s like, You know what? I’m still trying to get these people’s approval even though I’m no longer a part of this and don’t believe it anymore,’ he mused. ‘I just need to move on.’
According to the Human Rights Campaign, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (commonly called the Mormon Church) does not consider same-sex attractions to be a sin, but does prohibit members of the church from acting on those attractions.
Archuleta, pictured 2009, told Daily Mail he once projected an image of perfection until his memoir inspired him to get real with fans
The singer declared ‘God made me how I am ‘ as he came out as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community in 2021; pictured 2009
His new EP, Earthy Delights, was written about ‘things that felt forbidden before’
LDS members discovered to be acting on same-sex attractions can be disciplined with probation or be prevented from participating in sacraments while they attempt to cease all same-sex affections.
However, members who refuse to end same-sex relationship or who declare their sexual orientation to be an innate part of themselves can be excommunicated from the church.
Archuleta has since released an EP, Earthy Delights, a project he told GLAAD was written about ‘things that felt forbidden before.’
The recognition has continued pouring in for Archuleta’s EP – at the 2026 Queerties, he was nominated for Best Music Video for Crème Brulée.
His memoir, Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself, was released on February 17.
