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An star who was raised a Mormon is shedding his 'squeaky clean' image and laying bare the trauma he once endured in his new memoir.
David Archuleta was just 16 when he catapulted to fame as the runner-up on season seven of American Idol.
A longtime member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Archuleta ultimately left the church in 2023 after coming out as queer.
Now 35, Archuleta is reflecting on his journey in his memoir, Devout: Losing My Faith to Find Myself.
In an interview with The Daily Mail, Archuleta, 35, described turning his back on the perfect veneer he strove to project and share his life story - flaws and all.
'It's a heavy book, but I wanted to go there. I felt like I've always kind of been like, happy and look how good my life is... teen pop star and Mormon, squeaky clean,' he told The Daily Mail
American Idol alum David Archuleta is embracing the good, bad, and ugly of his life in his new memoir, Devout; pictured at the 2026 Queerties
Archuleta was just 16 when he rose to fame as the runner-up on season seven of American Idol
'It's like, "Okay, life is messy." It's okay to talk about it and say: even when life is messy and you've got family drama and trauma and may second guess your self-worth and worthiness to even be around here, you can still get through all that... process it and be happy and feel comfortable.'
In 2021, Archuleta declared 'God made me how I am ' as he came out as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
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Archuleta's new memoir, Devout, was released last month
Despite failing to capture the title of American Idol in 2008, Archuleta's music career still took off
While his mother decided to cut ties with Mormonism, Archuleta was disappointed to see the friends he forged through his faith had distanced themselves from him.
