Jermaine Jones, a disqualified contestant from the reality show, has joined the racial discrimination lawsuit that alleges the singing competition show unfairly oppressed black men.
Jones was disqualified from American Idol Season 11 after producers learned he had outstanding warrants in New Jersey. Upon learning of the lawsuit in July 2013, he originally distanced himself from it.
“I am offended they tried to paint me as a victim of discrimination. I appreciate the experience from Idol and embraced the good and bad from it,” says Jones at that time.
Since then, Jones has joined the suit and released an exclusive statement to ABC News. In the statement he said he did not sign up for the show to be “falsely portrayed as a thug or a ‘gangsta.’”
“I was and continue to be appreciative of the opportunity to perform as a Top 10 contestant during Season 11 of ‘American Idol,’ which was once considered the world’s biggest stage for up-and-coming recording artists. And I wanted to believe that my humiliating public disqualification in March 2012 was just part of the show and an experience that could be internalized and ultimately forgotten. But I realize now, with the support of my family and friends, that Equal Rights under the law (or in this case, under contest rules) is something we must always strive for and never take for granted,” Jones said.
The $250 million suit alleges that over the past decade producers of the popular TV show have practiced a pattern of racial discrimination against black males who were disqualified for reasons “unrelated to their singing talent.”
The other contestants include Corey Clark, Jaered Andrews, Donnie Williams, Terrell Brittenum, Derrell Brittenum, Thomas Daniels, Akron Watson, Ju’Not Joyner and Chris Golightly.
Producers have shot back to dismiss the suit pointing to the show winners Fantasia, Ruben Studdard, Jordin Sparks and Candice Glover saying:
“During the show’s twelve seasons, four of the winners have been African-American. African-Americans thus have participated in key stages of the contest at more than double their proportion of the country’s population.”