Carnie Wilson is standing by her daughter Lola.
Carnie and her Wilson Phillips bandmates took the stage for the “Music of the 90s” panel on March 30 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, Conn., moderated by PEOPLE’s Breanne L. Heldman. They were joined by Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean. The night before, the women of Wilson Phillips — Carnie, Chynna Phillips Baldwin, and Carnie’s sister Wendy Wilson — performed at the event’s afterparty.
On the Sunday, March 23 episode of American Idol, the Wilson sisters joined Carnie’s daughter Lola Bonfiglio, 19, for her audition in front of Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie. The family performance of the group’s 1992 classic “Hold On” included Lola’s father Rob Bonfiglio on guitar.
During Sunday’s panel, Carnie said Lola’s audition was the “scariest thing she has ever done.” She noted of her daughter, “She was trembling with nerves.”
“She did great. I’m so proud of her,” Carnie, 56, said. “And they asked us to sing, so we came and crashed the party.” She said that she didn’t think the judges knew they were going to be there. Of her daughter, she added, “We love singing with her, and she sings with us on tour sometimes. She’s a really inspiring artist.”
But then Carnie turned her attention to the less pleasant aspect of having her daughter perform on the reality show. “We’re human, and the Internet is so cruel, and the comments are really pissing me off, and I can’t respond.”
“Would you encourage a doctor’s son not to be a doctor?” she asked. “Lola wants to be a singer, and they say these terrible things. And she was so hurt.”
Phillips Baldwin, 57, said she did see some more positive comments, but Carnie said that the “majority” were negative. She said she wanted people to “understand” that it’s not all “happy glitter things,” but “real people with real hearts and souls.”
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“I encourage her to do it because she loves to sing,” Carnie said. “But I’m so proud of her that she was even brave enough to audition. She sounds so beautiful. I’m so excited for her future. She has a stunning voice.”
McLean, 47, mentioned that his bandmate Brian Littrell’s son Baylee is also competing on American Idol this season. “This is conflicting,” he joked and promised he would vote for Lola and Baylee both.
On American Idol, Lola also sang “Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves solo for her main audition. In the background, Carnie can be seen tightly clutching her tissues and wiping away tears. After receiving some feedback from the judges, they unanimously voted to send her to Hollywood.
All three members of Wilson Phillips come from musical families. Carnie and Wendy are the children of the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson and the Honeys’ Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford, while Phillips Baldwin’s parents are the Mamas & the Papas’ John and Michelle Phillips.
90s Con is running through Sunday, March 30, at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.
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