American Idol Accused of Racism by 9 Black Ex-Contestants (UPDATED)

By On 01/25/2013 · 65 Comments · In American Idol

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Nine black former American Idol contestants are banding together to sue the show, claiming they were forced off the show as part of a racist plot

Jeez, look at the list of A-1 class whiners on this list! I’d have to go back to my archives, but the contestants on this list who were disqualified had lied to producers.  Actually, I’ll be back with some links.  But in the meantime, here is the full report from TMZ.

Nine black former “American Idol” contestants — from various seasons — are banding together to SUE the show … claiming they were all FORCED off “Idol” as part of a racist (and illegal) plot to boost ratings.

TMZ has obtained a letter, submitted to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by NY attorney James H. Freeman — in which he asks for permission to sue Idol and FOX on behalf of his clients … who have all appeared on the show:

Corey Clark (Season 2), Jaered Andrews (Season 2), Donnie Williams (Season 3), Terrell Brittenum (Season 5), Derrell Brittenum (Season 5), Thomas Daniels (Season 6), Akron Watson (Season 6), Ju’Not Joyner (Season 8) and Chris Golightly (Season 9).

In his letter, Freeman claims he noticed something fishy about “Idol” when Jermaine Jones was kicked off on March 15, 2012. Producers had claimed Jones failed to inform them about multiple outstanding warrants out for his arrest.

Freeman claims he conducted an investigation into the show — and found that producers had only publicly disqualified 9 other people from the show since it first hit the air … and they all happened to be black.

Freeman now alleges that “Idol” has been conducting a “cruel and inhumane” scheme to exploit and humiliate black contestants for ratings.

According to the letter, Freeman believes the annual “scheme” begins during the background check stage of the show — when producers ask wannabe contestants the question — “Have you ever been arrested?”

Freeman claims the question is a violation of CA employment law … and since his clients were essentially applying for “employment” with Idol, the show was FORBIDDEN from asking contestants about their arrest history.

But Freeman claims … the ill-gotten information from the question, coupled with arrest records obtained by private investigators working for Idol, were used to humiliate the black Idol contestants on national TV … and in the process, perpetuated “destructive stereotypes” about black people.

Freeman also claims the show made his clients appear to be “violent criminals, liars and sexual deviants” … when they weren’t.

What’s more … Freeman claims the show has “NEVER once publicly disqualified a white or non-black American Idol contestant in the history of the eleven season production.”

According to Freeman, NONE of the contestants who were disqualified from the show based on their criminal backgrounds were convicted of the crimes for which they were charged at the time of their disqualification.

But Freeman adds, “Yet their personal and professional lives remain permanently and severely impaired by [the show's] continuing violations of our nation’s laws.”

Freeman’s letter is the first step towards a lawsuit — and we’re told as soon as he gets the green light from the EEOC, he plans to file the docs in court.

We spoke to “Idol” honcho Nigel Lythgoe … who tells us he was “shocked” by the “ridiculous” allegations.

He explained, “We treat everybody the same … no matter the race, religion or sex.”

“I think we’ve always had a fantastic share of talent from contestants both black and white … I don’t think I’ve ever seen racism at the show.”

A rep for FOX declined to comment.

FYI — “Idol” has had 3 African American winners in its history — Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino and Jordin Sparks.

Well, we all know Corey Clark’s pathetic story. I guess that lawsuit against MTV went no where. Now he’s trying a different tact to extract money out of his decade-old Idol experience.

Chris Golightly was eliminated from the Top 24 in Season 9 because he was still under a recording contract when he auditioned for Idol–which is against the show’s rules.

Donnie Williams was arrested for a DUI a week before he was scheduled to perform as part of the Season 3 Top 36. George Huff, who went on to sing his way to 5th place in the finals, took his place. By the way, after Donnie cleared up his legal problems, the producers invited him to participate in Season 4′s Hollywood Week. He was eliminated before the live shows.

The Brittenum twins were disqualified after Terrell ended up in jail. Both had outstanding warrants out for their arrest at the time they were arrested. Very similar to Jermaine Jones, who was disqualified last year. Like Donnie, the twins were invited back to Hollywood in a subsequent season after clearing up their legal problems.

Akron Watson was disqualified before the Hollywood Round due to a marijuana arrest. Akron claims producers told him to tell people he was an alternate to protect himself and the show. By the way, there are ALWAYS golden tickets holders who are told “never mind” after producers conduct background checks after auditions.

Jaered Andrews was arrested for assault after he punched a guy in a bar fight. He was celebrating his selection as an American Idol semi-finalist. The man he assaulted subsequently died from his injuries. Jaered was later acquitted. For the record, he did disclose his legal troubles to producers, but they decided to disqualify him after he was charged with assault.

Thomas Danielsarrested for DUI. His record was eventually wiped clean after he complied with his sentence. He was not disqualified, but the question is—did producers leak his record to TMZ to create controversy? But does it matter? There have been plenty of white Idol contestants whose legal troubles have been splashed all over TMZ.

Ju’Not Joyner was not disqualified. He’s just a super sore loser.

Idol will be in trouble if the lawyer can dig up some white contestants who had some of the same issues, but were not disqualified.  We’ll see how this situation pans out.  Joanna Pacitti, a white contestant, was disqualified during season 8 for ties she had to 19 executives. SHE’S more in a position to sue than any of these losers. I have always felt she was treated unfairly.

 

 
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  • teekee

    Wow. Corey C., Ju’not J., and Chris G., are the only names that I recognize.

  • http://twitter.com/idolxfactor1 Al Kahn

    OMG,,are you freakin kidding me…..there may be some smoke & a fair amount of coincidental stories…but I would find it hard to believe the executive producer Nigel Lythgoe would knowingly be a part of this conspiracy…he’s allot things but a racist…Not Buying It!! 

  • chillj

    Humbug.  I am suspicious of Idol for a lot of flaws, but racism?  Not at all likely, or judges of color would have left and said why.

  • justmefornow

    Ruben, Fantasia, anyone? 
    Lol what a joke!

  • Anny_nanny

    Someone wants money. But it’s strange to scream loud “I’m a loser, you don’t even remember me!” Don’t know why they were kicked out from the show in its time, but I’m glad.

  • http://twitter.com/avrohama aj rabin

    That’s why Joshua L, Jacob Lusk, big Mike,Lakisha Jones,Paris Bennett,Fantasia and the underserved Rueben Studdard all got major pimpage at some points in their idol run?? Sorry to all the 9 outcasts who are crying racusm none of you are that talented anyways. And Junot Joyer wasn’t disqualified as he was a semi finalist in season 8

  • Valentin432

    The Brittenum twins and Corey Clark on the list is just a huge joke, half of the other people I don’t even remember their names.

    Chris Golightly is black?

  • http://twitter.com/avrohama aj rabin

    the Brittenum twins in season 5 were thrown out in Hollywood because they were so damn annoying.

  • Eileen99

    Will Kerry Kolsch be representing them?

  • http://twitter.com/Stooch101 Stooch

    Well to the Whiner’s from season 2 and 3, if AI is racist then they’re not very good at it.

  • Kirsten

    Just how many times is Corey going to sue the show? He has turned it into a cottage craft.

    Lest anyone forget, the dude was disqualified because he failed to disclose that he had a date to appear in court the same day as a performance show.

    The lawyer is going to have to prove that Idol let people of other races who had open charges compete.

    The twins are never going to go away either are they?

  • http://twitter.com/raya4 raya

    I may accuse Idol of many things, but this one is a stretch.  I don’t expect any less of Corey Clark and I don’t remember most of the names in the TMZ report, though I am disappointed to see Ju’Not’s name as a part of this whole mess.  I remember liking him.  

    FWIW if this whole thing supposedly started with Jermaine’s dismissal, it seems his name isn’t attached to this lawsuit at least.  Unless I’m misreading the whole thing.  Plus you would think the same folks would notice that while Jermaine was removed from the show last year, Joshua was given tons of screentime and favorable attention.  He got lots of love from the producers and etc.  Not to mention DeAndre was given one of the highly coveted wild card spots and while didn’t get nearly the favor that Joshua did, he was treated well enough and was depicted in a favorable light.

  • maymay

    Randy is Black. Nicki is Black. Mariah is half  Black. Only Keith is White. And Randy is the only judge for 12 seasons.

    Anyway, this season could have at least two black contestants in the top 10 after this ridiculous accusation.

  • http://twitter.com/eilonwya10 Eilonwy

    The Brittenum twins were disqualified after Terrell ended up in jail.

    They then came back for S7, were allowed to audition, made it to Hollywood while the producers were trying to decide if they were too old (being just a bit over the limit), and didn’t advance. They celebrated by signing with a label that issued a statement saying they’d declined participation in S7… which they ended up having to retract after being caught in that lie.
    http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/terrell-and-derrell-brittenum-caught-in-new-american-idol-controversy-6408.php

    While I think Idol’s TPTB are shameless about exploiting any “human interest” story they get their grubby little hands on — and they’re not, collectively, very forward-thinking or self-aware — I’d be surprised if it were possible to make a legal case for racism.

  • XoLuv2SingOx

    This is honestly ridiculous. First of all, there have been white contestants who were disqualified. Anybody remember Joanna Pacitti?! Also, these people are just trying to get their 5 seconds of fame, since they didn’t get it from Idol. Ju’not wasn’t even disqualified, so I don’t know what he’s trying to prove. Corey Clark has tried countless ways to get his name in the media, and it’s getting ridiculous and desperate. Jaered’s actions resulted in someone’s death…it’s understandable that they disqualified him. And as you stated, Donnie was invited back. There are sooo many black contestants who have made it far. We’ve had three winners (Jordin, Ruben, and Fantasia) and countless finalists (Joshua Ledet, Jacob Lusk, Jennifer Hudson, LaToya London, Melinda Doolittle, LaKisha, etc). These people are just trying to bring Idol down, and it’s not gonna work. 

  • vdawg

    These losers just need to go get real jobs like everybody else.  I think they all want publicity.

  • elliegrll

    I do believe that 19 has been pandering to a portion of their viewers, which has caused the audience to become less diverse, but these guys don’t have a leg to stand on.  Maybe they can get someone to believe that 19 didn’t have the right to ask them about their criminal history, but I doubt that any judge or jury would support the idea that the producers didn’t have the right to do background checks.  Each of these people put themselves in the position of being kicked off the show.  It really didn’t make sense for any of them to try out, when they knew that they had unresolved criminal issues that needed to be addressed.  

    Furthermore, just like everyone else from AI they are responsible for their careers post AI.  Maybe if Corey spent more time trying to make music, and less trying to bring AI down, he’d be more successful.  The twins had no issue about appearing on AI after they had been disqualified.  Ju’Not has also made a career out of trying to tear AI down.  Anytime a blogger or writer wants someone to trash AI, Ju’Not is always there, but he’s done precious little to launch any type of career.  As I recall, he didn’t want to sign the contract, so it was his decision not to be on the show.  

  • http://twitter.com/ladymctech ladymctech

    LMAO at this list. Of course, Corey Clark. My husband — not ME, lol — bought that Idol “yearbook” that was published last year. Corey Clark is in there as saying that he doesn’t watch the show as he refuses to add to their ratings. First, he sued over the “association” he had Paula, and now this. Get a job, Corey.

  • dabney c

    Thank you — it’s Joanna Pacitti! I was trying to remember her name after reading the claim that the only people ever publicly disqualified were black. It was a pretty big deal when they let her go, as I recall.

  • JPA5JPA5

    This is ridiculous. Read the list and said who? Knew the first guy cuz of the Paula sex accusations. Don’t believe this. There were black winners and finalists.. This year 75% of judges are black. Dismiss this desperate money grubbing suit.

  • Reflects On Life

    The arguments that Idol didn’t target blacks for their annual disqualification stories because Idol has also showcased black contestants, awarded blacks 1st place, or hired blacks as judges, coaches, and other staffers doesn’t hold water at all.  It’s comparing apples & oranges.  It’s entirely possible to do both.  And if they are solely targetting blacks for their annual disqualification stories, that would indeed be discriminatory.

    The more legitimate apples to apples question is this:  Have non-blacks been disqualified also?  In numbers generally proportionate to their representation in the applicant pool?  (AfAms are ~12% of US population, but I don’t know what percentage of the applicant pool they make up. Possibly higher than 12%, but certainly not 100%.)  And have the disqualifications of non-blacks been aired as publicly?

  • Incipit

    The ambitious nature of these proposed Nuisance Law Suits keeps escalating…along with the OTT language. Destructive Stereotype? Racist Plot? Really? It’s a very selective one. Next, someone will figure out a way to involve Global Warming and Area 51. 

    This ought to have a short shelf life…too easily shot down. Like this “mis-spoken” statement.

    Freeman claims the show has “NEVER once publicly disqualified a white or non-black American Idol contestant in the history of the eleven season production.”

    .

    Ahem. Joanna Pacitti. Somebody didn’t do their homework.

    Now, with a different set of plaintiffs, as in, people with no rap sheet, or record of trouble w/the law – ‘maybe’ someone will try to make a case for a “pattern of discrimination” – after all – there’s no Hip Hop or Rap performers on Idol. But that extreme language like “Racist Plot” just makes them sound BSC…And so far, I don’t think it’s illegal to discriminate against certain genres in the marketplace. Or next will be Operatic arias, Gregorian Chants, or Tuvan Throat Singers, and other specialized singers/songs Idol has a plot against. IMO.

  • bannanafish

    Ever get one of those letters where you can be part of a class-action lawsuit against a big corporation like Verizon or Barclaycard and the fine print is that the lawyers involved make millions and you get $5. I think this is a case of a lawyer looking to make millions off AI and dangling a carrot in front of these ex-contestants to use their names. They figure they have nothing to lose so they agree. Of course the lawyers interest is in a settlement with Idol and he doesn’t really care about the principles of racial discrimination or that he is making his claimants look like bitter losers.

  • girlygirltoo

    This feels like the lawyer and people involved in the suit are looking for a quick money grab, hoping that Idol wills settle out of court rather than deal with a court case. 

    There have been 3 African-American winners (if include Jordin) and others have finished in the Top 5. So unless the lawyer has examples of non-African American contestants who had similar legal issues who were not disqualified? Doesn’t seem like this lawsuit has much validity.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/XDQP2Y46M5B3OHOKALDDGDHQCM Leandro

    I DON’T DO GROUPS…only when I need to sue someone.

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