Adam Lambert AMA Performance Leads To 'Good Morning America' Cancellation

Adam Lambert had a controversial performance at the AMAs, followed by more than 1500 complaint calls to ABC, and his Good Morning America performance being canceled.

Adam Lambert provided the 2009 AMA audience with a hybrid of live music and gay erotica during his stage spot, which closed the show. His performance of “For Your Entertainment” included simulated sex, both gay and straight; dancers in S&M garb; and a kiss between Lambert and a male keyboard player – probably more controversial than anything else.

The public reaction to Lambert’s performance was mixed, and he wasn’t deaf to this. Since the performance, ABC has received more than 1500 complaint phone calls from upset viewers –  but the backlash hasn’t ended there.

The New York Times has now reported that Lambert’s Good Morning America performance that was originally scheduled for Wednesday, November 25 is now canceled. An ABC spokeswoman said, “Given his controversial American Music Awards performance, we were concerned about airing a similar concert so early in the morning.”

But, regardless of opinions and complaints, Lambert stands by his “in the moment” actions during the performance – and feels he is defending a bigger cause.

“It’s a shame because I think that there’s a double standard going on in the entertainment community right now,” Lambert said to Rolling Stone after the show. “Female performers have been doing this for years — pushing the envelope about sexuality – and the minute a man does it, everybody freaks out. We’re in 2009; it’s time to take risks, be a little more brave, time to open people’s eyes, and if it offends them, then maybe I’m not for them.”

This singer, recently dubbed a “Beverly Hills Botox Queen” by a celebrity gossip site, isn’t bound to be for everyone. But, to be fair, Lambert had tried to warn people. A week before the show, he told the Associated Press that his upcoming performance, sure to be sexualized, wouldn’t be doing anything new. It’s more a matter of who is doing it. In this case, it’s a blond kid from California who began his acting career as Linus in a school play of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown! Today he has tight clothes, dyed black hair, a touch of mascara, a possible rhinoplasty and the urge to provoke.

“We’ve seen female pop and rock performers do that for the last 10 years,” Lambert said. “You just don’t see men doing it very often. And I’m hoping to break down that double standard with this number.”

Lambert certainly tried, but only time will show if he succeeded.