The Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin demands R-E-S-P-E-C-T!
Today hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb think Aretha Franklin doesn’t belong on American Idol. The ladies voiced their opinion yesterday saying today’s youngsters don’t know a thing about Franklin. “If they are looking for a younger demographic, there are a lot of kids out there (who) actually don’t know who Aretha Franklin is. It’s sad, but they don’t,” said Gifford.
E! correspondent Jason Kennedy jumped in, “She doesn’t like to fly and that will make it hard for her to travel across the country for auditions.”
Ms. Franklin wasn’t having the disrespect. Nearly immediately following the show, she emailed a response obtained by CNN. In that email, Franklin wrote, “While I enjoy Kathie Lee and Hoda daily, her assessment is totally wrong! I’ve been to California from Detroit four times this year and Florida. I go wherever I choose to go comfortably on my custom bus.”
She was quick to correct Gifford’s knowledge of her fan base, saying she’s a favorite of everyone. “Further, my audience and fans span the age of 8 to 90! And are multi-ethnic, and I am very well known to young adults, tweens and teens. Their parents play my music and I take care of my business whenever I sign on the dotted line!”
The 18-time Grammy winner says she’s surprised Gifford didn’t do her journalistic duties before hitting the air with her comments. “She should research me before she speaks about me,” wrote Franklin.
Do you think Aretha Franklin would make a great judge on American Idol?