'American Idol' Contestant Exits Over Controversial Video | THR News - video Dailymotion

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Top five finalist Caleb Kennedy is leaving the ABC reality competition after a video emerges involving a KKK-style hood. The singer's mother says the image is being taken out of context.

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00:00Top 5 American Idol finalist Caleb Kennedy is leaving the show after a video surfaced

00:05of him sitting next to a friend in what looked like a Ku Klux Klan hood.

00:11While Idol and ABC nor the judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan have yet to comment

00:16on the video or his exit, Caleb took to social media on Wednesday, May 12th, tweeting,

00:22Hey y'all, this is going to be a bit of a surprise, but I am no longer going to be on

00:25American Idol. There was a video that surfaced on the internet and it displayed actions that

00:29were not meant to be taken in that way. I was younger and did not think about the actions,

00:33but that's not an excuse. I want to say sorry to all my fans and everyone who I've let down.

00:38I'll be taking a little time off social media to better myself, but saying that I know this

00:42has hurt and disappointed a lot of people and made people lose respect for me. I'm so sorry.

00:48I pray that I can one day regain your trust in who I am and have your respect. Thank you for

00:52supporting me. Meanwhile, the 16-year-old's mom spoke to South Carolina's Spartanburg Herald

00:56Journal telling her local paper, This video was taken after Caleb had watched the movie

01:01The Strangers Pray at Night, and they were imitating those characters. It had nothing to do with the

01:05Ku Klux Klan, but I know that's how it looks. Caleb doesn't have a racist bone in his body. He loves

01:10everyone and has friends of all races. Billboard can confirm Sunday's episode will now include the top

01:15four finalists, Casey Bishop, Grace Kinzler, Chase Beckham, and Willie Spence, and one

01:30contestant will be eliminated. For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Jordyn Rolling.

'American Idol' Contestant Exits Over Controversial Video | THR News

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