‘American Idol’ contestant Sophia Shorai’s link to controversy
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There’s no room for secrets when appearing on a reality show -- especially when it’s “American Idol.” Sophia Shorai had been doing well on the hit Fox series. But what some may not know is that the 28-year-old is the daughter of a famous former fugitive.
Shorai’s mother is Sara Jane Olson, otherwise known as former Symbionese Liberation Army member Kathleen Soliah. The Symbionese Liberation Army, a radical group, was best known for kidnapping Patty Hearst in 1974.
Olson pleaded guilty in Sacramento County to second-degree murder in the death of Myrna Opsahl during the 1975 robbery of a Sacramento-area bank. She lived as fugitive for many years and raised her children in Minnesota until being arrested in 1999.
Not something that one might reveal in those pre-performance ‘Idol’ montages.
Instead, in Shorai’s video biography posted on the ‘Idol’ website, she expresses ‘awe of my parents and their ability to not only love each other dearly after 40 years [but to] promote each other’s good qualities.’
For more on this story, check out our sister blog L.A. Now.
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--Yvonne Villarreal
Photo and video: Sophia Shorai. Credit: Fox
