Cassadee Pope Lied For Sympathy Votes, Says Her Father

'The Voice' winner is a phony, according to her father. Lenny Pope says Cassadee's sob story about being abandoned was all a ploy to get more votes and win the singing competition. How scandalous! Cassadee Pope is riding high after becoming the first female winner of The Voice on Dec. 18. But her newfound happiness may be short lived, as her estranged father Lenny Pope is making some pretty outrageous allegations about her. He says that his "heart ripped right out of my chest" when he heard Cassadee say that she was abandoned by him, and he thinks she was "manipulated" by NBC to make the show more interesting. Read on to hear what else he had to say.

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Reading Time: 2 minute
December 20, 2012 7:32PM EST
Cassadee Pope Father
Image Credit: Courtesy of NBC

LENNY’S CLAIMS

Cassadee was the favorite to win The Voice for a long time, and she and her mentor Blake Shelton rejoiced when she won the coveted record contract. But not everyone is happy for Cassadee, as her father Lenny has slammed claims that she was abandoned by him, and he says that she owes her success to him.

“I was the one that supported her from the start,” Lenny tells Star. “Who do you think paid for Cassadee’s voice lessons? Private school? Instruments? Who drove her to competitions, talent contests, talent shows and paid for gas money and hotels? My ex-wife was a stay-at-home mom  — I paid for all of it. I worked 22 hours a day, seven days a week for nine years. I was a pastry chef, and the hours were long.”

“My wife and girls did their thing and had fun, and I worked. I broke my neck working to support them, and this is what I get?” continues Lenny.

And Lenny says that he was the one to encourage Cassadee to try out for a televised singing competition. “I told her to do American Idol right after Kelly Clarkson [won], but she said she didn’t want to be part of reality TV. I couldn’t understand why.”

Lenny doesn’t blame Cassadee entirely for suggesting he was a deadbeat dad, instead he blames the higher powers: “I feel like NBC manipulated what Cassadee said to make me out to be terrible.” Lenny has plans to sue NBC for defamation of character. And while he is angry about the situation, he insists that he “loves” Cassadee.

Lenny makes some very controversial and outrageous statements, and he seems very bitter about how he has been portrayed. Is Cassadee a fake, or is he just lashing out?

What do YOU think HollywoodLifers? Is Cassadee a phony, or is her dad just bitter?

WATCH: Cassadee Pope Wins The Voice Season 3 – Plus Season 4 Preview! ENTV

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— Eleanore Hutch

More Cassadee Pope News:

  1. Blake Shelton Ready To Be ‘The Bad Guy’ To Protect Cassadee Pope
  2. Adam Levine: ‘Voice’ Winner Cassadee Pope Should Release A Song Now
  3. Cassadee Pope: Thought I Would Be Eliminated From ‘The Voice’