Will Caleb Kennedy Be Replaced on ‘American Idol’s Top 5? Here’s What’s Going to Happen
What will happen on American Idol now that Top 5 contestant Caleb Kennedy has exited show?
On Wednesday (May 12), a video surfaced of the former contestant sitting next to someone wearing a KKK hood. Hours after the video went viral, the singer announced his departure from the singing competition. With one less contestant, what will happen on the show next?
According to NBC New York, the show will continue on with four contestants. The semi-finals episode on Sunday (May 16) will reportedly feature a single-elimination instead of a double-elimination. The finals episode will then feature the Top 3 contestants on Sunday (May 23).
The current Top 4 contestants are Casey Bishop, Chayce Beckham, Willie Spence and Grace Kinstler.
Kennedy isn't the only contestant to leave the show this season, however. On April 12, contestant Wyatt Pike dropped out for personal reasons. He was not replaced.
On Wednesday night, Kennedy released a statement on Instagram where he announced his official exit from the reality singing competition.
“Hey y’all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise but I am no longer gonna be on American Idol,” Kennedy 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.”
Later, Kennedy's mother, Anita Guy, claimed to MSN that the white covering seen in the video is not a KKK hood.
"I hate this has happened and how Caleb is being portrayed by people online," she told the outlet. "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."
The film The Strangers: Prey at Night was released in 2018. The villains in the movie did feature sack-like bags over their faces, but not pointed white hoods.