American Idol's Caleb Kennedy Receives Pitying Comments From Judges Following Controversial Exit
The "American Idol" judges addressed Caleb Kennedy's departure from the show after a past video of him surfaced online.
On Sunday, the singing competition held its semi-final episode without Kennedy. The "American Idol" had to let the singer go after the controversial video of the contestant invited criticisms online.
Following the weekend episode, judges finally let a word about the former contestants.
What "American Idol" Judges Think of Caleb Kennedy
In an interview with People, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie shared their opinion about Kennedy.
Bryan first expressed how much they love the kids as judges. Thus, they are emotionally involved with them.
"We want the best for Caleb. As far as the nuances on how ABC gets viewed, either way, decisions got made and it's our job as judges to show up and do our best job and comment on the kids who are in front of us," he said.
He went on to wish nothing but the best for Kennedy despite exiting the show. With his absence, he revealed that the atmosphere felt challenging and upsetting after losing a contestant.
Meanwhile, Richie left a rich message for everyone.
According to the judge, everyone grows up and realizes the mistakes they did in the past.
"This was one of those situations where we kind of give him a big hug from the three of us. He has definitely has a talent," he said.
He added that the only problem they all had to face is the decision the show has to make to move forward. Despite that, he hopes Kennedy would remember the experience forever despite negative statements he suffered from.
Why Caleb Kennedy Exited "American Idol"
The 16-year-old singer became the second finalist to leave the show this season following Wyatt Pike.
A controversial video surfaced this month showing him sitting next to a person who seems to be wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood. It is an American white supremacist terrorist hate group which began their agenda in 1865.
Since the video emerged, he decided to leave the show and admitted that he did not think about his actions when he was younger.
"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 wrote on his Instagram.
