Heejun Han Soothes Jennifer Lopez After 'Idol' Exit: 'It's OK, Baby'

'Those judges suck, but Jennifer is awesome,' latest 'American Idol' castoff laughs to MTV News.
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Kelly Marino

Heejun Han
Photo: MTV News

No joke: Heejun Han got the boot on Thursday night's "American Idol," bringing his odd, occasionally hilarious run to an end.

And while his exit didn't come as a shock to most, it was rather odd that it came on the heels of his best performance, a smooth take on Donny Hathaway's "A Song for You," which earned him praise from the judges and a standing ovation from the studio audience.

But if you think Han is taking all this personally, well, then you probably haven't been paying attention to his antics. Because after his exit, he was all smiles, as MTV News found out firsthand.

"I would be sad if I were to go home when I was [in the] top nine, top seven, top six — I would be so sad anyways," he said. "But, you know, I'm just happy, because I finished really great, and I feel like I proved a lot of things to the world, so I'm kind of in an excited place, actually."

In typical Han fashion, he was still making the most of his time in the spotlight, using our microphone to praise his paramour, Jennifer Lopez — who seemed to be the lone judge determined to save him after he was voted off — and take a few joking swipes at frequent nemesis, mentor Jimmy Iovine.

"Jennifer actually came up to me and said, 'I really, really tried to save you, but they wouldn't listen to me!' and I said, 'It's OK, baby, it happens all the time.' Those judges suck, but Jennifer is awesome," he laughed. "[And] Jimmy Iovine needs to get himself a new pair of glasses and new hat, because he's been wearing that for a fricking long time. No, Jimmy was a great mentor, I respect him a lot. I [just] hope I don't see him anytime soon, because I've been talking a lot of crap about him."

While Han is slightly sad that his time on "Idol" is over, he said he has no regrets about anything he did on the show, mostly because he only auditioned to prove a point: that anyone can accomplish their goals if they put their mind to it. And he'll continue spreading that message.

"I started off this competition to prove to the world that, if you really believe in yourself, you can become someone regardless of who you are ... and that's what I did, that's what I proved," he said. "I never thought I could be a star or anything like that, and I'm not yet, but I want to take this chance to make something out of it, to prove to more people that you can become someone."

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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