Adam Lambert's Dad Wanted Him To Apologize For AMA Performance

Ellen DeGeneres and Adam Lambert on Tuesday's "Ellen DeGeneres Show"
Photo: Michael Rozman/Warner Bros

Adam Lambert has had to answer a lot of questions about his provocative American Music Awards performance on November 22. With the show more than a week behind him, he's still finding he has to explain himself. When he appears on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on Tuesday (December 1) he'll once again open up about the performance that shocked some people.

"I suppose part of what I got caught up in that I forgot — this was the first time people were seeing me on TV again after 'Idol.' I didn't really think about that as objectively as I might have wanted to," he told the talk-show host.

Lambert added that he may have crossed a line or two during the performance, but admitted that he's still learning. "I think on 'Idol' I experimented with a lot of different styles and outfits and tempos and things like that," he said. "I went on tour over the summer and experimented with different types of performing there, and then I was in the studio making a record. For me this has all been one journey, and for me, I was like, 'I'm going to try and do something a little risqué now,' and it just, you know ... it was maybe a little too far."

Lambert said he didn't "intend to disrespect anyone" with the performance and that he has no hard feelings toward ABC, which canceled his "Good Morning America" appearance after the AMAs.

"Yes, I think ABC was a little bit mad at me. I don't blame them. I got carried away. It was stuff that I did not do in rehearsal, so they were probably a little bit taken aback. They gave me a great opportunity to close the AMAs, and I would never want to smack that gift horse in the mouth," he said. "I think they were taking a leap of faith having me do that, and it unfortunately didn't work out as we all thought it would."

Following the performance, the singer's mom supported him on "The Early Show," but Lambert said that his dad thought he should have apologized. "I was like, 'You know, Dad, I don't feel like I did anything wrong. It just wasn't maybe the right judgment call,' " he said. "It's a taste thing more than an obscenity thing. I think it's just a taste level."