The Shady Side Of Adam Lambert

Adam Lambert has a handful of celebrity haters and a bit of a shady side, but it would be remiss of us to discuss his controversial behavior without pointing out that he's sometimes stirring up "good trouble" when he's causing offense. An example is his 2009 "American Music Awards" performance, during which he kissed his male bass player. The ensuing backlash exposed a double standard: Straight female performers (think Britney Spears and Madonna) can get away with locking lips onstage while a gay man kissing another man causes mass hysteria.

According to Lambert, the way some people reacted made him want to push back. "I was like, 'Well, fine. I'm going to lean in and I'm going to be as gay as I f**king can be,'" he recalled during the 2023 Spotlight Initiative Awards Gala Dinner, according to People. But while some considered the primetime kiss a win for the LGBTQ+ community, Lambert told Pride Source in 2012, "I don't always consider myself the best role model in the world."

Some of the former "American Idol" star's shady moments involve other celebs. There was the time Lambert slammed rumors that Theo James might star in a George Michael biopic, and in 2012, he took aim at the cast of the "Les Misérables" movie musical. "The score suffered massively with great actors PRETENDING to be singers," he tweeted. For most Glamberts, the answer to the question "Whataya Want from Me" probably isn't more shade, but there's plenty more where that came from.

Adam Lambert's willingness to talk about his weight-loss struggles has made him more relatable to his fans; it's a reminder that many celebs deal with the same issues as those who lack the abundant resources of the rich and famous. His honesty is also a commendable quality. During a 2024 Instagram Live, he revealed that he has used the weight loss drug Mounjaro. It was in discussing the wealthy's access to such medications that his video took a cringe-worthy turn.

At one point, Lambert flippantly dismissed concerns that diabetic patients who rely on the medications might find it difficult to procure them because their popularity as weight-loss drugs has caused shortages. "I mean, quite frankly, that's the pharmaceutical industry's issue, not mine. They need to keep up with production," he said in the video, which a fan uploaded to TikTok.

Lambert also had something to say to those judging others for using the pricey prescription meds to lose weight. "Are people mad that it costs so much money, so then they're upset because maybe they can't afford it?" he mused. Lambert reasoned that the critics are potentially jealous of those who have the means to buy the drugs, and he suggested the complainers wouldn't be "b**ching" if they could use them, too. When Kelly Osbourne said something similar about Ozempic usage in an E! News interview, one person tweeted, "She's so out of touch and ignorant it's beyond comical."

In 2011, Adam Lambert and his boyfriend at the time, Finnish reality star Sauli Koskinen, were arrested in Sweden. They reportedly got removed from a popular gay club called Don't Tell Mama when they started physically fighting each other, and they continued brawling outside. One of their friends, former Miss Helsinki Sofia Ruusila, then attempted to intervene. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ruusila said that Lambert inadvertently struck her as he continued sparring with Koskinen. Local authorities eventually showed up and detained the two men, who remained in jail for a few hours while an investigation was conducted. Both were spared assault charges.

Upon his release from jail, Koskinen shared a post on his blog in which he hinted that alcohol played a role in the lovers' quarrel. "The evening was incredibly fun and the hangover will quickly pass!!" he wrote, per Google Translate. On X, formerly known as Twitter, Lambert also assured fans that all was well, revealing that he and Koskinen had made up and shared a laugh about their wild night over burgers. As for why they were fighting, he explained, "Jetlag+Vodka=blackout. Us÷blackout=irrational confusion."

While Lambert made light of the situation at the time, he later told Pride Source that he didn't find being locked up alone in a cell funny at all. "It was horrifying. ... It was a very embarrassing moment and not something that I'm proud of," he confessed.

In 2010, Adam Lambert was photographed grabbing a paparazzo from behind and sticking a hand inside his backpack. The incident took place in Miami Beach, and TMZ reported that the photog, Victor Eras, later filed a police report with Miami Beach PD. Lambert was accused of misdemeanor battery, a charge with a maximum prison sentence of one year.

Lambert never did any time, even though he made it sound like he was trying to commit a crime. "Battery? Nope. I attempted to grab a camera, no punches were thrown and no one was on the ground," he wrote on X. "It was literally harmless. If embarrassment is a crime — that's all I'm guilty of." He didn't apologize for hassling Eras but did beg his fans' forgiveness for allowing them to see him sporting a floppy straw sunhat. Lambert explained that he was trying to enjoy some time at the beach undetected, but he couldn't escape the notice of the shutterbugs. 

Lambert was kinder to the photog who captured the incident on film, writing, "Hahha the photos are hilarious!!" In yet another tweet that seemed like evidence that could be used against him, he wrote, "I lost my temper for a sec but wow it felt great." However, a Miami PD rep told the Miami Herald that it would not charge Lambert with a crime and that Eras would have to contact the state attorney's office to further pursue the case.

In 2009, a designer named Shane Starlet told Radar that she received a cold response from Adam Lambert when she confronted him over his sexually charged performance at the American Music Awards. After she told him that she found his onstage antics inappropriate, Starlet claimed that Lambert shot back, "Shut up, b**ch!" To be fair, she wasn't exactly nice to Lambert; she admitted to complaining about his sexuality to his face and calling him "no different than a Jerry Springer low-life." That same year, MSNBC reported that there had been some other complaints about Lambert's attitude. "He is such a diva. Rude to everyone — from fans right down to the lighting folks," a source said.

Lambert has also been caught being a bit bad-mannered on camera. In 2017, he appeared alongside rapper Iggy Azalea as a judge on "The X Factor Australia." Lambert has demonstrated his vocal chops by filling some big shoes; when he teamed up with Queen, he proved that he's capable of masterfully belting out the beloved rock ballads made famous by the late, great Freddie Mercury. Azalea has a much different area of expertise, and Lambert suggested this is why she seemed out of her element on the reality show. "She doesn't really know anything about singing, let's face it," he said on "Rove & Sam."

Adam Lambert is a massive fan of Lady Gaga, so he was honored when she gifted him with the song "Fever" for his "For Your Entertainment" album. In 2009, Lambert told MTV News that he'd love to join Gaga on tour, saying of his collaborator, "I think she's pretty amazing." You'd think Lambert would always be on his best behavior around Gaga in hopes of making his dream a reality, but this wasn't the case.

During a 2011 interview with Carson Daly (via CNN), Perez Hilton claimed that he witnessed Lambert majorly disrespecting Mother Monster at her birthday party. "He showed up really drunk, actually, beyond drunk, like super sloppy, messy, embarrassingly drunk," Hilton recalled. "He started fist pumping to the point where he punched a hole in the ceiling." According to the blogger, Lambert made things even more awkward for the birthday girl when he tried to shove a cake topper between her lips. 

Lambert backed up part of Hilton's story. On X, he revealed that he bruised his fist when it went through the ceiling of the restaurant where Gaga's party took place. However, while his memory of that night is hazy, Lambert disputed Hilton's claim that security removed him from the premises. "I definitely was a little bit sloppy," he admitted on "Fletch, Vaughan & Megan" (via The New Zealand Herald). "I think I was encouraged to go home and get some sleep as opposed to kicked out."