Adam Levine slams 'American Idol,' takes his shirt off for Out

Maroon 5 frontman and "The Voice" mentor Adam Levine continues to place even more distance between himself and his shirt. After taking it off for his band's "Moves Like Jagger" video, he remains unburdened by one in the new issue of Out.

But he's more than just a pretty cover boy. The 32-year-old singer took the opportunity of the profile to open up about his gay brother and an issue he thinks separates his hit NBC singing competition from ratings giant "American Idol."

"What's always pi**ed me off about 'Idol' is wanting to mask that, for that to go unspoken," he says, referring to the contestants' sexuality. "C'mon. You can't be publicly gay? At this point? On a singing competition? Give me a break. You can't hide basic components of these people's lives. The fact that 'The Voice' didn't have any qualms about being completely open about it is a great thing."

Levine recognizes that "Idol" is still the game to beat though, and he says so quite colorfully.

"I can't f*** with 'American Idol,'" Levine says. "It's a cultural institution. On 'The Voice,' we just care about a different list of things. It's for a different type of person, I guess."

It has always seemed pretty questionable the way "Idol" allows contestants to address their personal lives, but is it homophobic?