Is Caleb Kennedy Racist? Caleb Kennedy announced his elimination from American Idol ahead of its 2021 finale following a video that shows him with someone wearing a Ku Klux Klan-style hood.
Caleb Kennedy is a Top-5 contestant on American Idol, the popular American singing competition reality show.
Further, he is a native of Roebuck, South Carolina, and 16 years old currently.
Caleb performed an original song called “Nowhere” on his audition. His heartful rendition managed to impress all the three judges and he was sent to the next round.
Is Caleb Kennedy Racist? KKK Hood & Photos Controversy
American Idol contestant Caleb Kennedy found himself in media scrutiny after a controversial video he was in surfaced online.
Following the leaked video, many netizens are calling Caleb a racist.
The video in question depicts a young Caleb sitting next to a person who is wearing a hood that resembles the signature style of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
KKK is an American white supremacist terrorist hate group whose primary targets are African-Americans. They also target Jews, Catholics, Muslims, Immigrants, and Homosexuals.
#AmericanIdol Top 5 contestant Caleb Kennedy has been disqualified from the show after a racist video of him seated next to someone wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood resurfaced online. pic.twitter.com/tGyucPr9xb
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) May 12, 2021
However, Caleb’s family maintains that the video is being misinterpreted.
His mother, Anita Guy explained that the video was taken when Caleb was 12 years old. It was filmed right after he had watched the film “The Strangers: Prey at Night,” in which a character was wearing a similar hood.
His mother further stated that the video has nothing to do with KKK and Caleb is not a racist. In fact, he has friends from all races.
Is Caleb Kennedy Expelled From American Idol?
Yes, Caleb Kennedy has been expelled from American Idol mere weeks before the season’s finale.
Caleb had recently avoided his elimination and moved up from top 7 to top 5.
He had managed to garner loyal followers and supporters for him during the show.
However, the controversial video changed everything for the South Carolina native.
Furthermore, Caleb confirmed his exit from the show through a post on his official Instagram handle.
In the post, he apologized for his actions and clarified that he was younger and did not think about his actions.
Also, he states that he is sorry to those he’d hurt inadvertently and that he is going to take some time off from social media to work on himself and regain people’s love and respect.