Successful actress and former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson is lashing out at the show that first brought her to the publics eye.

“On American Idol, you go through this mental thing; you’ve got to get yourself back together. You’ve been abused, misled and brainwashed to believe whatever they want you to think,” Hudson, 25, tells the new issue of Essence.

“You become a character – I became the girl in the turkey wrapping.” (On one episode, she wore an unflattering outfit that earned that label.) “I just knew I had to sing my way out of it. I don’t believe in looking back, and I didn’t look back.”

Sure sounds like sour grapes to me. Her complaints are no different than complaints about any pageant or talent like show that has ever been created. I think it is great she has a successful film career now, but don’t use that platform to bash the show that made you who you are.

I hear Dreamgirls is as good as advertised and that Hudson does in fact steal the movie from Beyonce Knowles.