Chris Medina and Jennifer Lopez Explain Teary 'American Idol' Elimination

Chris Medina was an "American Idol" contestant who made a major reaction on a judge's feeling even before he reached Top 24. The Illinois native brought tears to Jennifer Lopez's eyes at last night's elimination and he admitted that he was surprised when finding out after watching it on TV.

"I was absolutely surprised. When you're in front of her you can tell she's nervous or just doesn't want to break the news to me. But I had no idea she broke down until actually seeing it myself," Medina told Extra. He sent a message for Lopez, "Don't worry about it. It's okay. Let me give you an air hug."

At the same time, Lopez talked about her emotional ordeal on Ryan Seacrest's morning radio show, saying she was just being herself. "This is all new to me," she explained. "I'm used to having a script in a movie, or a big performance with a cane and a microphone, and I have all kinds of stuff going on ... You're [not always] getting me."

She revealed the chronology of the event, "I didn't break down when he was there necessarily, I did it afterwards after he left. It really hit me. I just couldn't believe I had to deliver this news to this person who I felt had been through a lot, and is going through a lot, and I felt like I didn't do it well enough for him."

She continued, "As we were going down the list, I didn't realize I had to tell him. All of the sudden it was my turn and I was like, 'Oh gosh, how am I going to say this?' At the end of the day we had to do our job, which was to pick the top 12 guys and he wasn't in it. And that was tough to do because you had grown to have so much respect for him as a person."

Medina, whose fiancee had an accident several months before their wedding, will not be out of the picture so quickly. An original song based on his emotional life called "What Are Words" has been debuted on Thursday, February 24 and is available for digital download. The music video will premiere Friday at 2 P.M. on AOL.