'American Idol' Alum out of Jail on Bond After Fatal DUI

Former American Idol contestant Caleb Kennedy can breathe a sigh of relief in his deadly DUI case. While he's not in the clear yet, he does get to await his fate from home. TMZ reports that 17-year-old is currently out on bond.  He's spent the last few months in a South Carolina prison since driving his 2011 Ford pickup truck up someone's driveway, plowing through their garage, and killing a man inside. Initially, he was denied bond. But his lawyer, Ryan Beasley, told the media outlet that Kennedy was granted bond at $50k on May 20 and will be held in home detention until his trial begins. Kennedy is said to be in good spirits, despite the circumstances. He's hoping to have his day in court where he plans to prove the DUI was a misfortune caused by medication, though it's unclear if the meds were prescribed by a medical professional. 

Kennedy was one of 5 finalists in the singing competition show in 2020. He, left the show after a video surfaced showing him seated next to someone wearing a Ku Klux Klan-like hood. The three-second video was sent via Snapchat and shows Kennedy leaning against a wood-paneled wall wearing a blue T-shirt and baseball cap. He turns his phone to a friend sitting next to him whose face was obscured with two cutouts for eyes in what appeared to be a white KKK hood.

The video went viral immediately went viral when YouTube comedian Def Noodles, whose real name is Dennis Feitosa, posted the video on Twitter. Within a day, it received over 60,000 views.

In his surprise departure, he said in a social media video: "Hey y'all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise. There was a video that surfaced on the internet and it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way."

Accordion to Kennedy, the video was taken when he was younger. He claims he did not think about the ramifications of the video.

"I'm so sorry! I pray that I can one day regain your trust in who I am and have your respect," he ended the departure announcement.