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American Idol finalist Caleb Kennedy exits show after his racially insensitive social media post resurfaces
American Idol's Caleb Kennedy took to Instagram to announce his American Idol exit after he came under fire for a racially insensitive social media post.
American Idol finalist Caleb Kennedy won't be a part of the reality show's Season 19 anymore after a racially insensitive video surfaced online. The 16-year-old singer took to Instagram to break the news about his exit. Kennedy was among the Top 5 contestants on the show and was competing alongside Casey Bishop, Grace Kinstler, Chayce Beckham and Willie Spence. Kennedy's exit came as a surprise for fans who were shocked to hear his apology in the social media post.
According to Deadline, Kennedy came under fire for one of his posts where he was seen seated opposite someone who appears to be wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood. The singer apologising for his insensitive video said, "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."
Kennedy further stated that while he won't be a part of the show anymore, he will also be taking a break from social media. In his statement, Caleb said, "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."
Caleb is the second contestant from the show to run into a controversy. Previously, contestant Cecil Ray Baker was accused of assaulting his ex-girlfriend.
