Yesterday, Jeff Archuleta took a rare break from (reportedly!) yelling at, (allegedly!) withholding water from, and (purportedly!) making all musical decisions for his son David, this year's American Idol front-runner, to give an interview to Us Weekly denying charges that he's a stage parent. "There was absolutely no truth in any of the stories about me yelling at David, making him cry, or withholding water from him," says Jeff. "When I think of 'stage dad,' I think of the overbearing parent who raises their kids to [compete] in every beauty pageant there is and puts them through a lot of dancing and singing and piano lessons … I kind of look at it like, 'I'm David's music consultant,' someone he can bounce ideas off."

He may have a point (David could definitely use some dancing lessons) — but winning Idol finalists don't stage-parent themselves! Come on, Jeff — your (alleged) yelling helped create the greatest contestant in the show's history! Take a little credit!

American Idol David Archuleta's Father: I'm No "Stage Dad" [Us Weekly]

Earlier: David Archuleta's Father Is Taking Stage Parenting to a Whole New Archu-Level