The 9 black ex-contestants claiming the contestants were publicly disqualified based on their dubious criminal backgrounds ... solely because they're African-American.
TMZ obtained a letter submitted to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by New York attorney James Freeman, requesting permission to sue Fox and the show on behalf of his nine clients. In the letter, Freeman claims there is a racist pattern in the "Idol" disqualification process.
Freeman alleges that only nine "Idol" contestants had been publicly disqualified since the show debuted in 2002, and all happened to be black. He claims the show enacted a "cruel and inhumane" scheme, which included background checks and arrest inquiries, to humiliate the contestants on live TV and perpetuate "destructive stereotypes" that made his clients appear to be "violent criminals, liars and sexual deviants."
Nigel Lythgoe, producer of "American Idol," told TMZ he was "shocked" by the "ridiculous" allegations.
full list of disqualified contestants and more details on the lawsuit: http://www.tmz.com/2013/01/25/american-idol-racism-lawsuit-corey-clark-disqualified-contestants-letter-discrimination/
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.
Although seven of the nine contestants were booted due to legal issues, two were not. Chris Golightly (Season 9) was disqualified when "Idol" learned he had an existing contract with a boy band, Billboard reported. And Ju'Not Joyner (Season 8) was not publicly disqualified, according to Zap2It, though he never advanced past the semifinals.
As for whether or not any non-black contestants were publicly disqualified, Zap2It cites Delano Cagnolatti (Season 1) and Joanna Pacitti (Season 8), who were both dismissed on air.
"American Idol," which has crowned three black winners in its history, has been accused of racial biases several times. When Phillip Phillips beat Jessica Sanchez to win the Season 11 cycle, the show was accused of being racist. In November 2012, judge Nicki Minaj had a spat with rocker and co-judge Steven Tyler and accused him of making a racist comment about her judging qualifications.
Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/25/american-idol-racism_n_2550281.html
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