David Archuleta’s Mom Lupe left the LDS Church. She shares why. Plus, David’s mini ‘American Idol reunion’ on the Project Angel Food red carpet.
David Archuleta attended the Project Angel Food Lead with Love fundraising event on Saturday, June 24, 2023. On the red carpet he spoke with People about his mother Lupe Bartholomew’s journey toward accepting his coming out as queer and the family changes that followed.
David described an initially difficult conversation with his mother. “My mom had a hard time accepting my journey,” he said. Early on she told him, “DA, I love you, but I love God more. And marriage is between a man and a woman.” David explained that he understood where she was coming from because he had believed the same things until shortly before he came out. He asked only for patience and companionship: “I don’t need you to accept everything about my journey immediately. I just want you to be willing to walk along with me in this journey to learn alongside me,” and she agreed.
Over time, Lupe’s position shifted from conflict to care. David recalled her telling him, “I don’t want to leave my family just to follow God. I can follow God and accept my son.” For David, hearing that she would choose family and love alongside her faith was deeply meaningful.
“If you’re going to hell we’re all going to hell together”
Lupe’s acceptance did not stop at personal support. David says his mother ultimately decided to step away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He remembers her lighthearted declaration: “If you’re going to hell, we’re all going to hell together,” a line she delivered with warmth and humor. For David, the sentiment — that she would stand by him no matter the cost — felt “really sweet.”
David has also said he is “stepping away” from the LDS Church, a major decision for someone raised inside the faith. Lupe took the step further: she formally ended her membership after reflecting on church teachings and history and after witnessing how much pain her son experienced in that setting.
David’s mother left LDS after she decided “God is not here”
In an editorial recounting her path, Lupe described inviting David to sacrament meetings, which he attended a few times before saying, “It hurts too much to be there, Mom.” She came to understand that many in the LGBTQ community felt unwelcome in the church despite messages of love: “We love you, but you’re not welcome to participate in all the blessings because of who you are.” That tension prompted nights of tears as she watched her child suffer.
She described a pivotal moment sitting in sacrament meeting when she looked around and felt a profound absence: “God is not here.” That realization pushed her to ask difficult questions: “How can a loving God be so exclusive? I did not teach my children their whole lives to serve and love a God who is not accepting of them. God is love.” By November she wrote to her bishop and informed him she was stepping away from the church.
After researching church history and the life of Joseph Smith, Lupe decided to disenroll entirely. She wrote that the decision was painful but necessary and called the experience an awakening: “I’m on a new journey now. I feel it has been an awakening in my life, and I’m finally ready to move on.”
David’s mother gave up her LDS membership, a step her son may not have taken yet
While Lupe officially gave up her LDS membership, David’s personal process appears to be described as stepping away rather than formal disenrollment. Lupe’s public account of leaving the church underscores how families sometimes have to reconcile religious conviction with love and acceptance, and how those reconciliations can lead people to change course in profound ways.
American Idol mini reunion: David reunited with Paula Abdul on the red carpet and duetted with Grace Kinstler
At the Project Angel Food event, Archuleta also enjoyed a lighter, celebratory moment: a mini American Idol reunion. The season 7 runner-up reunited with former judge Paula Abdul on the red carpet, and he joined 2022 alum Grace Kinstler for a duet of “The Prayer.” “It’s fun to sing with another former Idol contestant,” David said, calling the evening a “little Idol reunion.” Those musical moments offered a contrast to the more personal conversations he shared about family and faith.
Beyond the red carpet, David said he was looking forward to releasing new music. On Friday, June 30, he planned to release a single titled “I’m Yours.” He described the song as upbeat and danceable, saying it “makes people dance” and expresses contentment: “It’s just about saying, ‘I’m happy where I am and this is going to feel good.’ …So that’ll be fun to just show a fun, happy, dancey side. I don’t think I’ve shown that in a long time, if ever.”