{"id":252457,"date":"2021-05-17T18:32:57","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T15:32:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/american-idol-judges-call-caleb-kennedys-exit-unfortunate\/"},"modified":"2021-05-17T18:32:57","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T15:32:57","slug":"american-idol-judges-call-caleb-kennedys-exit-unfortunate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/american-idol-judges-call-caleb-kennedys-exit-unfortunate\/","title":{"rendered":"#’American Idol’ judges call Caleb Kennedy’s exit ‘unfortunate’"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#’American Idol’ judges call Caleb Kennedy’s exit ‘unfortunate’<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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\u201cAmerican Idol\u201d judges have weighed in on the abrupt departure of contestant Caleb Kennedy \u2014 calling his exit \u201cunfortunate\u201d \u2014 after a controversial video from his past resurfaced last week.<\/p>\n

After Sunday\u2019s Season 19 semifinal episode, judge Lionel Richie told People magazine<\/a> that the decision to remove him from the competition \u201chad to be made and we move on,\u201d while also recognizing the 16-year-old singer\u2019s talent.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of times, we think about it, we grow up and we make mistakes and we look at our life behind us many times and we say, \u2018God, what was I thinking about when I did that?\u2019 \u201d Richie said of the young singer, who left the program when a video surfaced depicting him next to someone wearing what app<\/a>eared to be a Ku Klux Klan hood. \u201cThis was one of those situations where we kind of give him a big hug from the three of us.<\/p>\n

\"Caleb
Caleb Kennedy exited from \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d after a controversial video resurfaced last week.<\/figcaption>
ABC<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cHe has definitely has a talent,\u201d continued the \u201cAll Night Long\u201d hitmaker. \u201cThe problem is, this is one of those unfortunate decisions that had to be made and we move on. But this will be remembered in his lifetime and he\u2019ll know what it\u2019s all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, fellow judge Luke Bryan, 44, told the publication that the decision was an \u201cupsetting\u201d one and wished Kennedy well.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst and foremost, as judges, we love these kids,\u201d Bryan said. \u201cWe get emotionally involved in these kids. We want the best for Caleb. As far as the nuances on how ABC gets viewed, either way, decisions got made and it\u2019s our job as judges to show up and do our best job and comment on the kids who are in front of us. But we wish nothing but the best for Caleb. It does make for a very, very challenging and upsetting week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Representatives for \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d did not immedia<\/a>tely respond to a request for further comment from The Post.<\/p>\n

Last Wednesday, Kennedy headed to Instagram<\/a> to apologize for the compromising clip \u2014 which was reportedly recorded when he was 12, according to his mother, Anita Guy \u2014 in which he acknowledged that being \u201cyounger\u201d was no excuse for the video.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey y\u2019all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise but I am no longer gonna be on\u00a0\u2018American Idol,\u2019\u201d he said on social media. \u201cThere 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\u2019s not an excuse. I wanna say sorry to all my fans and everyone who I have let down. I\u2019ll 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\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kennedy\u2019s mother further said that the offending video was taken after he and a friend watched a movie, \u201cThe Strangers: Prey at Night,\u201d and that they were simply mimicking characters from the film. \u201cIt had nothing to do with the Ku Klux Klan, but I know that\u2019s how it looks,\u201d she said. \u201cCaleb doesn\u2019t have a racist bone in his body. He loves everyone and has friends of all races.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Sunday\u2019s episode, three contestants remained \u2014 Willie Spence, Grace Kinstler and Chayce Beckham \u2014 after Casey Bishop was ousted from the competition. In a post-show tweet, judge Bryan called her<\/a> \u201ca true rockstar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kennedy wasn\u2019t the only contestant to make an unexpected exit this season. Wyatt Pike, 20,\u00a0left the show\u00a0while in the top 12,\u00a0citing \u201cpersonal reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

The season finale of \u201cAmerican Idol\u201d will be at 8 p.m. Sunday, May 23, on ABC.<\/p><\/div>\n