Adam Lambert gets guest spot on The View after outcry from supporters

After taking heat from Adam Lambert's fans and gay advocates for a week, ABC on Friday extended an olive branch of sorts to the "American Idol" runner-up who made headlines with his provocative performance last month at the American Music Awards in which he kissed a male musician.

ABC canceled Lambert's scheduled appearances on "Good Morning America" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and stopped considering him for "New Year's Rockin' Eve," which drew thousands of complaints from viewers and gay advocates who believed the network was retaliating against him because he is gay.




On Friday night, Lambert took to Twitter, where he first announced the cancellations, to tell his fans that he will appear on "The View" next Thursday.

Without offering an explanation and declining to comment, ABC confirmed the appearance.

Lambert will be interviewed by "The View" hosts and will perform. Both will be pre-taped because Lambert has a scheduling conflict and cannot be in New York on Thursday, sources said.

Lambert will appear on "The View" the morning after his interview with Barbara Walters for her "10 Most Fascinating People" special on ABC. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which earlier accused ABC of subjecting Lambert to a double standard, applauded ABC's invitation.

"ABC has taken a step toward fairness by inviting Adam Lambert to perform on 'The View,' " the group's president, Jarrett Barrios, said. "GLAAD has been advocating against the double standards that have been applied to Lambert as an openly gay performer."

GLAAD issued that statement after releasing three statements in two days that left Lambert's supporters confused and angry.

In the first release, the group seemed to give ABC a free pass: "It would appear that the kiss between Adam Lambert and his keyboardist did not factor into ABC's decision."

In the second statement, GLADD called on ABC to clarify "why Lambert is being denied the opportunity to perform on the network."

Then GLAAD issued its strongest statement, charging that ABC canceled Lambert's appearances because he is openly gay.

In an interview, Barrios said he realized after the first statement that GLAAD's position was being misunderstood because "I'll admit it, [it] should have been more clearly worded."

"Giving ABC the opportunity to explain themselves is important, but it's also important for us to be clear about what our position is. And that is that we believe that Adam Lambert is being subjected to a double standard because he's an openly gay entertainer."