Cities where judges' auditions took place this season
This season the American Idol judges visited three different cities hoping to find the next singing superstar.
The three cities include:
American Idol scandals: A controversial kiss
The current judges, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan have proved less contentious and controversial than past panels.
However, in 2018, Katy kissed a contestant on the show and they didn’t like it, which caused backlash from fans.
Benjamin Glaze auditioned for the show and told the judging panel that he had never been kissed before.
Katy beckoned Benjamin over for a kiss on the cheek, but then turned her head and kissed him on the lips.
Even though the contestant told The New York Times that the kiss made him “a bit uncomfortable,” he did not think he was sexually harassed by Katy.
He clarified on Instagram: “I am not complaining about the kiss from Katy Perry at all, doing a few news reports and being interviewed by many different reporters has caused some major questions.”
American Idol scandals: Carey v. Minaj, cont.
After a contentious season, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj finally spoke out about the tension between the two.
In 2013, Nicki spoke to Ellen DeGeneres and said that she didn’t believe Mariah was going to be on the show.
When they started working together, Nicki “started feeling a little bit of, like, the shade” so she “overcompensated by being crazier.”
In 2015, Mariah spoke out about the feud in a radio interview and said the show was “the worst experience of my life.”
“I’m not going to get into what it was. Let’s just say, I don’t think they had any intentions of us having a good experience through that show. Pitting two females against each other wasn’t cool.”
Neither Nicki nor Mariah returned for season 13.
American Idol scandals: Brittany Kerr and Jason Aldean
Season 11 contestant Brittany Kerr allegedly kissed country singer Jason Aldean when he was married.
TMZ obtained photos of Jason and the former contestant talking on a crowded bar patio area on The Sunset Strip in 2012.
They appeared to get very flirty with each other – hugging, touching, and kissing each other.
At the time, Jason was married to his high school sweetheart, Jessica Ussery.
Brittany and Jason ended up getting married and now have four children together.
American Idol scandals: The infamous Carey-Minaj feud
One of the most memorable and controversial panels of American Idol was Randy Jackson, Keith Urban, Mariah Carey, and Nicki Minaj.
Mariah and Nicki butted heads so much on the show that it led fans to wonder if their feud was real.
TMZ obtained videos before the season started of Nicki and Mariah arguing, with Nicki claiming that she wanted to “shoot Mariah.”
Nicki denied the claims.
During live shows, Nicki even told Mariah to “clean her ears out” after critiquing a contestant’s performance.
American Idol scandals: Brian Dunkleman
Die-hard American Idol fans may remember that Ryan Seacrest had a co-host on the show’s first season.
Seacrest hosted with Brian Dunkleman, who left the show after just one season.
While chatting on the Behind the Velvet Rope podcast in 2021, Brian revealed that he also did not get along with Ryan and that they almost got physical after a live taping of the show.
Despite the feud, Brian regretted the decision to leave.
The reality star said the decision to leave American Idol “haunted” him for years, as the program became wildly popular with Ryan at the forefront.
