American Idol star Will Moseley found himself in hot water at the worst possible time. The contestant is drawing online hate for a graphic hunting video.
Back in 2022, Moseley posted an Instagram video of him hunting a hog. The animal became trapped in a river bed. In the video, Moseley allows his four dogs to attack the hog. The dogs bite into the animal as it attempts to defend itself. For American Idol fans doing a deep dive into the contestant, the video proved to be shocking.
It wasn't the fact that Moseley was hunting. It was the brutality of releasing the dogs on the cornered hog. One person wrote, "Disgusting abuse of animals. I was a fan... for about 30 minutes until I saw this." Another expressed their horror at watching the video. They wrote, "This is the most horrific thing I've ever seen. Saw you on @americanidol tonight but not sure I can be a fan of this."
Additionally, it appears the video has affected people's votes. One wrote, "I hope u don't win-this is disgusting." Another commented, "Agreed!! Lost a fan. Sickening."
'American Idol' Contestant Garners Hate
It wasn't all negative as some people came out in support of Moseley. One wrote, "Those are some bada— doggos!" Dogs are used by hunters to track and hunt down game. According to Georgia law, hunters can hunt wild hogs on private property with permission. Hunters are also eligible to hunt on land as well. A representative for the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division told TMZ, "Hunting feral hogs — an invasive species — is allowed on private lands and, where and when designated, some public lands in Georgia. Where designated, dogs can be used in hunting feral hogs. There are no restrictions on that use except on public lands."
However, PETA has officially called out Moseley for the video. They condemned the brutality of the video as a hate crime against animals.
A rep for PETA told, "Anyone who encourages dogs to rip apart other animals should be in jail for cruelty to animals, not on a stage. Unless Will Moseley has changed and gained some much-needed compassion since his boar-killing days, PETA urges the public to vote according to their values and end his American Idol dream, the same way he ended the lives of vulnerable animals." The organization is urging voters not to put Moseley through. We'll see if this affects his chances.
