“American Idol” top-five finalist Caleb Kennedy has left the show after a video surfaced showing him next to someone wearing what appears to be a Ku Klux Klan hood.
Posted on 05/13/2021 8:40:30 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
“American Idol” top-five finalist Caleb Kennedy has left the show after a video surfaced showing him next to someone wearing what appears to be a Ku Klux Klan hood.
A representative for the show confirmed to The Post that Kennedy will no longer be moving forward in the competition.
The singer, 16, posted a statement about his departure on Instagram Wednesday.
“Hey y’all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise but I am no longer gonna be on ‘American Idol,’” he wrote. “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. 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.”
The remaining finalists include Willie Spence, Grace Kinstler, Chayce Beckham and Casey Bishop.
Kennedy’s mother, Anita Guy, gave a statement to MSN claiming that the video was taken when Kennedy was 12 and inspired by a movie he had seen.
“I hate this has happened and how Caleb is being portrayed by people online,” Guy said. “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.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Time to completely destroy another persons life!
And the Governor of Virginia?
The worst racism I have ever seen.
Having seen the movie his mother is referring to, her explanation is plausible.
Cancel culture strikes again.
However, if this kid is talented, he doesn’t need AI to tell him.....
...this may be the best thing to happen to him
One other thing: has it ever occurred to anyone that one might wear a KKK outfit as a form of satire or just fooling around, not as a show of support for the KKK? Does wearing a pirate costume mean you support actual piracy? Does dressing up in a comic devil outfit with a pitchfork mean you are a satanist?
Live by social media.
Die by social media.
In my day that was a Caspar the Friendly Ghost costume.
It doesn’t matter if the reason is real, there must be a struggle session.
If you run out and marry a poc, make her a duchess, and badmouth your family, everything will be ok. Get going now, you know what to do.
SMH.
My Q is: Who posted the image for others to see (IE: someone actually ‘doxxed’ him)?
he’s got what it takes to be the next democrat governor of Virginia.
RE However, if this kid is talented, he doesn’t need AI to tell him.....this may be the best thing to happen to him
I wish I could agree with you. But this is going to haunt him for the rest of his life because of our current cancel culture.
UNLESS — he enters politics and becomes a Democrat ( like the governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam ). Being a Democrat gives you the DOUBLE STANDARD advantage.
NEVER APOLOGIZE!
NOTHING to apologize for.
Even IF it were Klan related, WHICH IT WASN’T, he still has freedom of speech and expression doesn’t he?
Obviously not.
RE: he still has freedom of speech and expression doesn’t he?
Yes he has, that’s why the government cannot prosecute him. But that doesn’t mean that the show ( a private business ) cannot cancel his appearance.
The cancel culture mob follows people for years and rarely lets them go.
The show did not use common sense, find out who posted the picture on social media.
To the mob, it does not matter that it wasn’t an actual endorsement of the KKK’s beliefs or that he was 12 at the time. That’s rational, logical thinking which is anathema to cancelers. The only thing that matters is that another target has been spotted and it must be destroyed.
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