In just a couple of weeks, Caleb Kennedy, a teenage boy out of Spartanburg, became a household name across the country thanks to American Idol. 

With his gravelly voice singing his deep original tracks, he had made it into the final five contestants of the globally renowned singing show.

However, he had to head back home in May, not because his vocals didn't make the cut, but because of a controversial social media post he had made when he was 12. 

Since being kicked out of the show, the country singer has moved back to his hometown and has been performing at a few local venues. He has also been writing songs about his experiences on Idol. 

It was undoubtedly hard on the teen singer to have left American Idol the way he did, that too just two performances away from the finals.

Still, his parents have been at his corner, supporting him through the entire ordeal. 

His Supportive Parents

In a Facebook post from May 14, 2021, his father, Mark Kennedy, who had a front-row seat while Caleb performed on Idol, updated his profile picture to a photo of the young songster with a frame that read, "I stand with Caleb Kennedy. Caleb Strong." 

Following suit, his mom, Anita Guy, uploaded a profile picture with the same frame. Even his stepfather put up a snap of himself on Facebook to reflect the same text. 

Almost immediately after the news of Caleb's elimination had been made public, Anita got in touch with the Herald-Journal to clarify the three-second clip that had thrown her son to the wolves. 

It Was Not What It Looked Like

The video in question was a Snapchat clip of the Idol alum leaning against a wooden panel while someone who appeared to be wearing the Ku Klux Klan hood sat down beside him and posed for the camera. 

According to the mother, the happenings of that day were not at all what they looked like. 

Apparently, the hooded figure was not a white supremacist. Instead, it was a costume inspired by the movie The Strangers: Prey at Night. The movie had amassed a fandom at the time, and Caleb just happened to be one such fan. 

The doting mother did acknowledge what it looked like and assured the publication that her son did not "have a racist bone in his body." She further explained that Caleb had friends of all races and loved all of them indiscriminately. 

Caleb's Apology

Caleb, however, decided to be the bigger man and took responsibility for his acts, regardless of the act being a mistake of his 12-year-old self. 

His Instagram apology reaffirmed that the contents of the video were not what it seemed like, but considering that he has let down his fans, he thought an apology was owed nevertheless. 

His apology ended on a positive note though. He still had hopes of earning the trust and respect that he had lost because of the controversy, and he was thankful to people who stood in support. 

In a more recent statement, Caleb revealed that he did not regret going on American Idol. On the contrary, he actually loved the experience.