'American Idol' Sued by 10 Black Contestants Seeking $25 Million Each
10 black contestants are suing "American Idol" after charging that they were booted off of the reality show due to the color of their skin.
The contestants from various seasons have filed suit against "American Idol" with claims that they were discriminated upon due to their race. They have requested $25 million per contestant from the company.
The lawsuit was initiated after 2012 contestant Jermaine Jones was kicked of the show. Producers claimed at the time that Jones had failed to notify them of existing arrest warrants. N.Y. attorney James H. Freeman told TMZ that something seemed off about the situation.
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After an investigation Freeman discovered that a total of 10 contestants had been publicly booted from the show- all of them black. Freeman charged in a letter written to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that all 10 former contestants had been treated "cruel and inhumane." In the letter, obtained by TMZ, he suggests that show producers intentionally humiliated the contestants because of their race in an effort to gain additional ratings.
The contestants include: Corey Clark (Season 2), Jaered Andrews (Season 2), Jacob John Smalley (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 the lawsuit Freeman argues that his clients were painted out to be "violent criminals, liars and sexual deviants." He also claims that it was illegal for producers to dig through the arrest histories and records of the former contestants. According to Freeman, only black people were probed during background checks.
The contestants feel that their lives have been "ruined" by the shows poor portrayal of their character, TMZ reported. They are suing for discrimination and other "alleged misdeeds."
