‘American Idol’ Alum Caleb Kennedy Charged With Felony DUI After Allegedly Crashing Into Building and Killing Man
09.02.2022 - 18:13
/ usmagazine.com
Caleb Kennedy has reportedly been arrested after he was involved in a deadly car crash that left one person dead.
The former American Idol contestant, 17, was charged with a felony DUI resulting in death in South Carolina on Tuesday, February 8, according to E! News. Kennedy drove into a building in a private drive, which led to a person dying from the collision.
Authorities told the outlet that the incident “remains under investigation” and that a bond hearing is set for Wednesday, February 9.
Kennedy previously made headlines last year when he left during season 19 of the ABC singing competition after reaching the final five group. The news came after a resurfaced video seemingly showed the singer sitting next to someone who appeared to be wearing a Ku Klux Klan costume.
“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.”
At the time, Kennedy noted that he was going to take a step back from social media to “better myself” in the future, adding, “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!”
After Kennedy’s departure, judge Lionel Richie addressed the reason behind the decision.
“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, 72, told Entertainment Tonight