While American Idol has undergone plenty of changes,
drama and scandal are always there. Which judges feuded? Did contestants
sabotage each other? Keep watching for the biggest scandals in American Idol history.
The Season 2 finale of American Idol was one for the books. The final contestants were Clay
Aiken and Ruben Studdard, and Studdard came out on top in a closely fought battle. Out
of 24 million votes, Studdard won by just 130,000. According to Entertainment Weekly,
the margin of victory had changed from roughly 13,000 to 1,300 before finally
settling on 130,000. There were questions over the validity of the public vote,
with reports of the phone system being overloaded, causing 150 million votes to be dropped.
Despite the controversy, it doesn't seem to have had any lasting effects on the two vocalists.
Aiken and Studdard have remained good friends throughout the years,
and they've frequently been pictured together. They even appeared alongside each other in
their 2018 Broadway production, the Ruben & Clay Christmas Show.
"The friendship for us started, I think, um, day one, day one in the audition process.”
“Yeah, earlier before people even saw it we became close."
Who can forget the famous feuding judges Mariah Carey
and Nicki Minaj on American Idol's 12th season?
The drama became public in October 2012 when a video leaked to TMZ showed Minaj shouting at Carey
during an audition in North Carolina. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Minaj said about Carey:
"If I had a gun, I would shoot that b—-."
Fighting escalated to the point where even former President Barack Obama got involved,
saying that the feuding pair would, quote, "sort it out."
Carey revealed to Barbara Walters that she felt unsafe on the American Idol set and had increased
her personal security. Minaj told Ellen DeGeneres that they were, quote, "just two big old divas."
Both stars lasted only one year on the judging panel before leaving the show,
and their feud is believed to have cooled down since then.
"Uh, can you say three nice things about Nicki Minaj?”
“Can you?"
Pop icon Katy Perry is another American Idol judge to come under fire.
The singer joined the all-new panel when the show re-launched on ABC,
alongside music legend Lionel Richie and country star Luke Bryan.
Oklahoma-based auditioner Benjamin Glaze revealed to the panel that he had yet to
have his first kiss, so Perry invited him over to the judges' table for a kiss on the cheek.
When he went to smooch her on the cheek, she turned so that he kissed her lips instead.
He looked surprised and fell to the ground while Perry high-fived the other two judges.
Glaze told The New York Times that he felt uncomfortable with the kiss and:
"Wanted [his first kiss] to be special."
While Glaze stressed that he didn't consider it to be sexual harassment,
the incident still sparked debates about consent.
In May 2021, sixteen-year-old Caleb Kennedy wowed American Idol judges and made it to
the final five of the competition. But he was forced to withdraw after a video of
the teenager surfaced with somebody wearing a hood resembling those worn by the Ku Klux Klan.
Kennedy confirmed in an Instagram post that he had left the competition, writing:
"Hey y'all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise, but I am no longer gonna be on 'American Idol.'
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."
He was defended by his mother, Anita Guy, who told the Spartanburg
Herald-Journal that the clip had been taken out of context and that her son:
"Doesn't have a racist bone in his body."
Way back when the show first started, contestant Frenchie Davis was unceremoniously kicked off
Season 2 of American Idol because of some topless photos that surfaced. But just a few years later,
Antonella Barba was involved in a similar scandal, yet she didn't suffer the same fate.
MTV News confirmed Barba was allowed to continue competing on the sixth season
of the show despite revealing photos of her emerging online.
Davis was shocked to be kicked off even though she had been open about
the pictures from the beginning. She was even more surprised when
Barba wasn't penalized in the same manner. The View co-host Rosie O'Donnell suggested
there were dubious reasons why Davis was treated more harshly. O'Donnell said:
"I think it's because she's Black. I think it's weightist and racist."
CBS News noted that American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe
strongly refuted her claims in a statement. Davis refused to confirm either way,
acknowledging only that she appreciated O'Donnell's support.
David Archuleta didn't win American Idol, but he still remains one of the most-beloved contestants
in the show's history. His sunny disposition during the grueling competition process was
even more impressive considering everything he was reportedly dealing with backstage. According
to ET, one of his performances was negatively affected by an intense argument with his father,
Jeff Archuleta, which occurred right before he went onstage. The reality star's father
was allegedly verbally berating David to the point of tears. Jeff was previously banned from
the Star Search set after allegedly harassing one of his then-12-year-old son's competitors.
Archuleta's father was also later banned from attending American Idol rehearsals,
according to the Associated Press. He allegedly changed the lyrics to a song,
incurring an additional fee for the show. David's vocal coach denied there were any issues,
claiming he'd never known Jeff to raise his voice to his son. Jeff defended himself in
an interview with Us Weekly, claiming there was no truth to any of the rumors.
Joanna Pacitti was gaining traction on the eighth season of American Idol when she was
abruptly disqualified. Far from doing anything nefarious behind the scenes, Pacitti was
reportedly kicked off for being too successful in the music business. Fox confirmed in a statement:
"It has been determined that Joanna Pacitti is ineligible to continue in the competition."
Rumors swirled about the singer-songwriter formerly having a record deal with A&M/Geffen,
as well as a gig opening for Nick Lachey on tour. Lachey was signed
to Jive Records at the time, which is owned by Sony BMG–the
place where the Idol winner secures a record deal at the end of the show.
Pacitti also had music from her back catalog featured on the soundtrack for Legally Blonde,
as well as albums for artists like Britney Spears. She openly did press just a couple years before
appearing on Idol, during which she dismissed using such shows to propel oneself to fame.
Winning American Idol isn't always a fairy-tale ending,
especially in the case of Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips. After his victory,
Phillips immediately sued the show's co-producers, 19 Entertainment, over their allegedly oppressive
contract. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Phillips accused producers of manipulating him
into taking certain jobs solely for their benefit. He also sought to cancel his management,
recording, and merchandising agreements with 19 Entertainment.
"I couldn't know what I was getting myself into, I'd never watched the show, it wasn't my
thing, and uh. So I had no idea what I was getting into."
According to The Daily Mail, the singer-songwriter's legal documents
confirmed he was grateful for the opportunity, though:
"The appreciation does not extend to the oppressive,
fatally conflicted 19 Entertainment, Inc."
Phillips said he was forced to perform in a live show for airline JetBlue — an
important Idol sponsor — for free, alongside other similar jobs. He also claimed that
certain major decisions had been made without his input, including choosing
the title of his album Behind the Light. A spokesperson for 19 Entertainment confirmed:
"We have always acted in the best interest of Phillip. We
will vigorously defend ourselves from any baseless claims to the contrary
and from any attempt to interfere with our rights and relationships."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two parties eventually reached a settlement agreement.
American Idol doesn't suit everybody, but Wyatt Pike's shocking exit during Season 19
left fans stumped. Writing on Instagram at the time, Pike simply noted:
"I had to leave the [American Idol] competition for personal
reasons but am so thankful I get to play music for the rest of my life."
But according to E! News, fans of the hit show were convinced his sudden departure
occurred following a backstage confrontation with judge Luke Bryan. The country star missed
an episode of Idol after allegedly sustaining a black eye in a violent scuffle with Pike.
Bryan didn't acknowledge the claims, only confirming on social media that he wouldn't
be taking part in the episode in question after testing positive for COVID-19. But the rumors
gained traction after host Ryan Seacrest announced during that very same episode that Pike had left.
He'd been doing well in the competition up until that point, so his departure definitely seemed
suspicious. Bryan's wife, Caroline, set the record straight about the alleged altercation, writing:
"Trust me, he has Covid. I kinda wish there was a
fight. I'm sick of taking care of kids alone and sanitizing."
American Idol is certainly no stranger to voting controversies, and when Kris Allen
shockingly won over fan-favorite Adam Lambert, viewers called foul. Considering all the
success Lambert has had in the years since, fans didn't need to be so concerned about his career.
According to the New York Times, show sponsor AT&T provided Allen's fans with free texting
at viewing parties in Arkansas, which allowed viewers to send 10 messages or more at once.
Questions were raised about whether the voting was swayed as a result. But according to The
Hollywood Reporter, a joint statement was issued by Fox and Idol producers 19 Entertainment and
FremantleMedia that confirmed Allen won the show fair and square. The statement firmly said:
"Kris Allen is, without a doubt, the American Idol. We have an independent
third-party monitoring procedure in place to ensure the integrity of the voting process.
In no way did any individuals unfairly influence the outcome of the competition."
AT&T released a similar message that confirmed no foul play had occurred, stating:
"It's quite a leap to suggest that
a few individuals could have impacted the final results."
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