American Idol Contestant is 'Already a Winner' to Stuttering Community

Click here: Singing and Stuttering: What We Know

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Jan. 18, 2013) — Stuttering Foundation president Jane Fraser had the following comment about Thursday's American Idol show featuring Lazaro Arbos, a contestant who stutters:

"The Stuttering Foundation is jumping for joy after seeing Lazaro Arbos successfully move on to the Hollywood round! For his courage to speak and perform on one of the most-watched shows on television in America, Lazaro Arbos is already a winner to the stuttering community. His participation on American Idol is an inspiration to so many and provides us with yet another wonderful opportunity to educate the public about stuttering. It is very common for people who stutter to be able to sing fluently and beautifully. B.B. King, Carly Simon, Bill Withers and Nancy Wilson are among the most famous singers who stutter. All have been prominently featured in our Famous People Who Stutter brochure and poster which can be viewed on our website at www.StutteringHelp.org. Lazaro is in great company and we wish him great success throughout his singing career!"

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Jack Paar

While Jack Paar is among the most prominent of the entertainers on the Stuttering Foundation’s list of Famous People Who Stutter, he deserves special recognition as he was among the first to openly address his stuttering in public. As host of The Tonight Show from 1957-1962, he spoke of his difficulties as a stuttering child and teenager, giving hope to young people.

Ken Venturi

As much of the nation watches the U.S. Open Golf Championship, it is impossible not to think about our late friend Ken Venturi. Ken overcame many challenges to win the Open at Congressional in 1964 and go on to become the voice of golf for more than three decades.

However, Ken faced no bigger obstacle than stuttering. Ken Venturi was a champion to those who stutter, going out of his way to share his personal experience when consulted by a colleague, friend, or child who stutters.

Lewis Carroll

The recent Disney version of Lewis Carroll’s classic, Alice in Wonderland, garnered a great deal of media hype. Even though the mainstream media has not made mention that Carroll was a person who stuttered, his family history gives credence to the discovery of the genetic link to stuttering. Carroll was born to parents who were first cousins; almost all of their eleven children, three girls and seven boys, struggled with stuttering past childhood.

Darren Sproles

Darren Sproles, a former player for The Philadelphia Eagles, the New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Chargers, made history in 2007 when he became the first player in NFL history to return a kickoff and a punt for his first two NFL touchdowns in the same game. In 2021, he was selected to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Winston Churchill

Seeking to "remove Winston Churchill's stutter by second guessing the diagnosis" indicates neither a truthful retelling of history nor an informed opinion about a complex speech disorder, say experts in the field of speech-language pathology.

Recent news reports that quote Dr. John Mather, a Washington physician, as saying that Churchill's stutter "is a lie" brought adamant critical response from specialists in the field of stuttering and fluency disorders.