'American Idol' Caleb Kennedy Eliminated: Reacts on Old 'Racist' Video; Mom Comes in Defense
Caleb Kennedy of the hit singing competition "American Idol" exits the show because of an old controversial video of him resurfaced and was shared on the internet.
On the video, which we'll not be showing because of Kennedy's age at the time, he was seen seating beside someone wearing what appears to be a Klu Klux Klan hood.
Kennedy has then released a statement on Instagram about the controversial situation.
"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." He wrote on the post (See the full statement below)
He then proceeded to apologize to his supporters writing "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," he concluded.
The video, which spans only three seconds long, received a lot of backlash from fans and show supporters.
In a statement released to The Herald-Journal via MSN, Kennedy's mother, Anita Guy, stated that Kennedy was in 7th grade during the video was taken and it is not meant to harm anyone.
"I hate this has happened and how Caleb is being portrayed by people online, This video was taken after Caleb had watched the movie 'The Strangers: Prey at Night' and they were imitating those characters. It had nothing to do with the Ku Klux Klan, but I know that's how it looks." she stated.
"Caleb doesn't have a racist bone in his body. He loves everyone and has friends of all races." she concluded.
Despite the backlash received from the resurfaced video, fans rallied their support by commenting on Kennedy's Instagram post.
"You will be missed! I have been voting for you from the beginning,I was hoping you would be the winner!!" one fan commented. "Sorry to hear that. I haven't seen it, but people need to remember you're still just a kid. I'm sure they weren't mature and politically correct at a young age either. Times change man. I know you've already got your foot in the door she will make it far. Good luck!" Another one stated.
Caleb was a fan favorite of the show, he made it to the top 5.
The singer has then returned to his hometown Spartanburg, North Carolina and is not expected to return at next week's episode.
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