'Idol' Vote Controversy Dogs Kris Allen in Victory Appearance

"I have no idea what's going on with 'Textgate,' " "American Idol" winner Kris Allen said on Jimmy Fallon's late-night show Wednesday.

Allen was responding to news reports that employees of "Idol" corporate sponsor AT&T showed up at Allen-fan viewing parties last week to lend them cellphones and show them how to "power-text" so they could generate more votes for their contestant in the singing competition.

"All I'm hearing about [today] was Textgate," Fallon said to Allen, practically the minute the "Idol" winner sat down on Fallon's set.

"I've heard a little bit," Allen said, laughing.

"About how it was rigged, or they don't know what's going on," Fallon continued.

"Yeah, cheating apparently," Allen added.

"They said, like, there was extra votes given to you from a party in Arkansas that got you the win," Fallon said, inaccurately.

News reports have not said that the AT&T staffers' efforts at the viewing parties in and near Allen's home town of Conway, Ark., landed him the win. The news reports have said that the staffers' efforts helped increase the number of votes Allen received.

Back to the interview/damage control:

"Did you win by 10 votes?" Fallon snarked, cracking up at his own joke.

"I doubt that, with 100 million votes," Allen simpered, adding: "But you know, I just try to go out there and do my thing. . . . I have no idea what's going on with [making air quotes] Textgate."

Today, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette -- which broke the story of the AT&T Text Zone activities by staffers at the "Idol" viewing parties -- provided more details about those two parties. The newspaper cited a fan named Bobbie Kierna who reportedly voted 10,840 times on one of the phones provided by AT&T staffers at a roped-off area advertised by signs as a "Texting Zone."