“American Idol” finalist Caleb Kennedy has left the show after an alleged Ku Klux Klan video surfaced.
Kennedy’s exit from the competition show comes after a Kennedy was seen standing next to someone wearing a KKK hood in a video. On Wednesday, the 16-year-old singer announced he would be leaving the show over the incident.
“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,” Kennedy wrote in a statement on Instagram.
He continued: “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!”
Lastly, he said that he would “pray that one day he will regain the public’s trust and thanked viewers for their support.” His mother also spoke out about her son’s departure.
“I hate that this has happened and how Caleb is being portrayed by people online,” Anita Guy told MSN. “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. Caleb doesn’t have a racist bone in his body. He loves everyone and has friends of all races.”
An update from me, about American Idol. pic.twitter.com/uuHc2sSiM4
— Caleb Kennedy (@calebkennedy) May 12, 2021
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