ABC/Eric McCandless
American Idol season 19 alum Caleb Kennedy has been sentenced after pleading guilty to driving under the influence.
Kennedy, 20, was arrested and charged in February 2022 with a felony DUI in South Carolina after crashing his car led to a 54-year-old man’s death. Kennedy was 17 at the time.
Kennedy pleaded guilty in a Monday, November 18, hearing, according to a local Spartanburg, South Carolina CBS affiliate WSPA. The outlet also reported that Kennedy was sentenced to 25 years in prison and a $25,100 fine, which was reduced to eight years and a $15,000 fee. Three years of Kennedy’s sentence are set to be served via home detention.
Kennedy will also be required to undergo mental health and substance abuse counseling. He will be on probation for five years after his release.
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The musician appeared on season 19 of American Idol, leaving early after making the final five after an allegedly racist video from his past resurfaced online.
ABC/Christopher Willard
“Hey y’all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise but I am no longer gonna be on American Idol,” he wrote via Instagram in May 2021. “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.”
Kennedy added, “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!”
The judges — Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, respectively — shared their own statements reacting to Kennedy’s departure.
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“Well losing great talent is always [hard] … this is our class. This is the class of 2021. So, you know, it was an unfortunate situation,” Richie, 75, told Entertainment Tonight that same month. “We had to ride with what’s happening with ABC, and you know that’s where we play. So you know we wish him all the best, but that was just one of those unfortunate things that happen along the way of life.”
Bryan, 48, for his part, told the outlet that the entire panel loves “these kids.”
“We love every aspect of their growth and all of this, but it’s certainly devastating news when we hear about this,” Bryan said. “But like we said, our thoughts will be with him as he grows as an artist.”
