A surprise to all. Caleb Kennedy shocked fans last week when he announced that he would not be returning to American Idol following a resurfaced video in which he sat next to someone who appeared to be wearing a Ku Klux Klan outfit.
A revolving door! When American Idol debuted on Fox in 2002, music manager Randy Jackson, choreographer Paula Abdul and music executive Simon Cowell made up the panel of judges. For the first seven seasons of the show, the trio remained the faces of the series, along with host Ryan Seacrest. (Comedian Brian Dunkleman cohosted the […]
“Well losing great talent is always [hard] … this is our class. This is the class of 2021. So, you know, it was an unfortunate situation,” judge Lionel Richie told Entertainment Tonight after the Sunday, May 16, episode. “We had to ride with what’s happening with ABC, and you know that’s where we play. So you know we wish him all the best, but that was just one of those unfortunate things that happen along the way of life.”
Caleb KennedyABC/Eric McCandless
The singer, 16, announced his exit via Instagram on Wednesday, May 12, following the video — which was reportedly filmed when he was 12 years old — going viral on social media.
Rife with scandal or just the right time to walk away? Stassi Schroeder, Lauren Conrad and Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi are among the reality stars who left their shows in surprising fashion. Schroeder, for one, was fired from Vanderpump Rules after eight seasons alongside costar/frenemy Kristen Doute. Bravo confirmed their departures in June 2020 after their past racially […]
“Hey y’all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise but I am no longer gonna be on American Idol,” Kennedy wrote in a statement at the time. “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.”
Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan.ABC/Eric McCandless
Judge Luke Bryan also commented on the shocking departure, sending the South Carolina native the best.
“You know, we love these kids, we love every aspect of their growth and all of this, but it’s certainly devastating news when we hear about this,” the country star, 44, said. “But like we said, our thoughts will be with him as he grows as an artist.”
You’re going to Hollywood! American Idol paved the way for reality competition shows to help everyday people achieve their dreams of music stardom. The series premiered in 2002 on Fox with a star-studded judging panel consisting of Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. American Idol‘s freshman season introduced Kelly Clarkson, who would become the […]
While Sunday’s show was set to include a double elimination, it instead featured the final four — Grace Kinstler, Chayce Beckham, Willie Spence and Casey Bishop — performing, followed by only one artist being sent home: 16-year-old Bishop.
Deal of the Day
Daily Deals! Shop the Best Amazon Black Friday Finds Today
View Deal
Check our latest news in Google News
Follow Us
Check our latest news in Apple News
Follow Us
jQuery( document ).ready( function( $ ) {
var randomNumber = Math.floor(Math.random() * 100);
if (randomNumber < 96 && $('#news-block .shop-with-us__container').length ) {
// Show the shop-with-us__container 96% of the time
$('#news-block .shop-with-us__container').show();
$('#news-block .news-widget, #news-block .newsletter-form').remove();
} else {
if( $('#news-block .shop-with-us__container').length ) {
$('#news-block .shop-with-us__container').remove();
}
if( 0 === parseInt( $.now() ) % 2 ) {
$( '#news-block .news-widget' ).remove();
} else {
$( '#news-block .newsletter-form' ).remove();
$( '#news-block .news-widget' ).show();
if ( navigator.userAgent.match( /(iPod|iPhone|iPad)/ ) ) {
$( '#news-block .news-widget .google-news' ).remove();
} else {
$( '#news-block .news-widget .apple-news' ).remove();
}
}
}
} );
Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Caleb Kennedy.ABC/Eric McCandless
“Casey is one of my favorites,” judge Katy Perry told ET. “It’s amazing seeing her growth and her potential, and her stage presence. And I think she’s a real MVP. … I don’t think it’s the end of the road for her. She’s not going to win American Idol, but I think she’s going to win at life. Mark my words.”
