Australian Idol star Anthony Callea reveals disgust at judge Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson trying to label him gay on live TV: ‘He seemed more concerned about my sexuality than me’
Anthony Callea opened up about the horrific moment when Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson tried to label the singer as gay on season two of Australia Idol in 2004.
All revealing in his memoirs Behind the voicewhich he released earlier this month, he claimed the controversial judge wanted him to appear live on TV.
The singer, 40, said Dicko, 60, “seemed more concerned about my sexuality than I was” and tried various tactics to force him out “as part of the show.”
“One night, just after I finished my performance, the judges gave their comments, and Dicko said something along the lines of he saw my target audience as ‘grandmas, girls and gays,'” which I think was his way of putting it “G” word (among a few others) out there,” Anthony wrote.
He went on to say that Dicko “didn’t get what he wanted” despite his relentless pursuit to fuel the rumors circulating at the time.
Anthony Callea, 40, (pictured) opened up about the horrifying moment Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson, 60, tried to label the singer as gay on season two of Australia Idol in 2004
Despite the awkward situation he found himself in, Anthony said he received a lot of support from other contestants, judges and staff on the show who helped him brush off Dicko’s comments.
Nevertheless, after nearly two decades, the Australian Idol runner-up said he forgives Dicko for his actions and believes he had the “right intentions.”
“I understand times and social temperatures change, and in hindsight it wasn’t unusual behavior from him,” he said.
Revealing all in his memoir Behind The Voice , which he released earlier this month, he claimed the controversial judge wanted him to appear on live TV
“He still gave me constructive criticism, which I mostly agree with, no matter how much they were driven by the theater of the show,” he added.
In 2021, the former Australian Idol judge painted a slightly different picture when he spoke on the TV Reload podcast about Anthony’s homosexuality while competing in the singing competition.
He claimed he told Anthony, who was just 21 at the time, that he could help him hide his sexuality, despite the hitmaker insisting he wasn’t gay.
The singer said Dicko (pictured) “seemed more concerned about my sexuality than I was” and tried various tactics to force him out “as part of the show”
“We all knew Anthony was gay and I remember saying to him, ‘Look, mate, we’re going to be your record company and we can help you live the life you want and fuck whoever you want and keep a public persona for your career if you choose to,” said Dicko.
Dicko insisted he just wanted to reach out and help Anthony, but admitted he should have let the music artist come out on his own time.
Anthony confirmed his sexuality in 2007, three years after coming second to Casey Donovan on season two of Australian Idol.
In 2014, he married actor Tim Campbell in New Zealand after seven years of dating.
Nevertheless, after nearly two decades, the Australian Idol runner-up said he forgives Dicko for his actions and believes he had the “right intentions.” Both pictured with former host Osher Günsberg (center right) and former judge Mark Holden (right)
