Welp, that’ll be the end of that.
American Idol hopeful Caleb Kennedy, the country rocker who’s performed everything from Chris Stapleton to Willie Nelson on the show, is officially leaving after a rather inexcusable video surfaced on social media.
The video, which 16-year-old Kennedy says is from when he was younger, shows Kennedy alongside one of his buddies, who is wearing a white Ku Klux Klan hood. Whether it’s a legitimate KKK hood or not makes no difference, it looks just like one.
The caption reads: “Bow,” followed by “oh my.”
american idol contestant: caleb kennedy . he posted a video thinking it was funny of his friend in the kkk mask. and i called him out on it and he blocked me . pic.twitter.com/9MepZeSRz2
— jessica villegas (@jessixavillegas) May 12, 2021
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Kennedy has since addressed the situation.
He released the following statement regarding his departure:
“Hey y’all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise, but I am no longer gonna be on American Idol,.
There was a video that surfaced on the internet and it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way. I was younger and did not think about the actions, but that’s not an excuse.
I wanna say sorry to all my fans and everyone who I have let down. I’ll be taking a little time off social media to better myself, but saying that, I know this has hurt and disappointed a lot of people and made people lose respect for me.
I’m so sorry! I pray that I can one day regain your trust in who I am and have your respect! Thank you for supporting me.”
An update from me, about American Idol. pic.twitter.com/uuHc2sSiM4
— Caleb Kennedy (@calebkennedy) May 12, 2021
Kennedy was a Top 5 contestant, so according to TMZ, the upcoming episode Sunday will feature the remaining Top 4 with only one contestant getting eliminated to round out the Top 3.
He debuted a new original titled “Mama Said” on the most recent episode of the show, a song that Lionel Richie said he should record right away.
Doesn’t look like that’ll happen any time soon…
And, he wouldn’t be the first country singer on American Idol this season to land in some hot water…
‘American Idol’ Contestant Cecil Ray Arrested For Breaking Into Home Of Ex-Girlfriend, Striking Her In The Face
According to TMZ, American Idol contestant Cecil Ray Baker was arrested after he broke into the home of his ex-girlfriend and hit her in the face when she refused to let him see the child “he believes is his.”
“A Rockdale PD officer says he got a call to a residence last week where Cecil allegedly entered the home of his ex, Mariah Lopez, and assaulted her.
According to the affidavit obtained by TMZ, Lopez claims she wouldn’t let Baker in, so he went to a locked back door and ripped it open to gain entry.
She told police he then pushed her to the floor and ‘struck her in the face with a palm heel’ before leaving.”
A woman claiming to be his ex, Mariah Lopez, has posted about him on her TikTok account before, saying he’s previously denied being the father of the child behind closed doors.
@atx.mer People aren’t who they always seem to be on TV. Im tired of always being silenced. You even denied my daughter being yours #cheater #americanidol #fyp
He was eliminated from the Top 24 a few weeks back.
He had previously dedicated his audition performance on the show to his daughter who was two months old at the time:
He also dedicated a follow-up performance of Tyler Childers’ “Shake The Frost” to her as well.