American Idol is known for the savage put-downs former judge Simon Cowell directed at contestants, but now the Fox show is under fire for insulting a spectator. Ashley Kauffman, 19, attended an Idol taping last week, and later told Good Morning America that a member of Idol's production staff told her she couldn't sit in the front row because she was too fat. Representatives of the show deny Kauffman's claims. Could she really be making this up, or does Idol owe her an apology?
Shame on you, American Idol: "Is this really what has become of American prime-time TV?" asks Emily Abbate at The Stir. There's no way to confirm with 100 percent certainty who said what, but it's clear that the show's staff split up Kauffman's group, putting girls it deemed more telegenic front and center. And it's hard to believe "any 19-year-old would build up the courage to talk about her weight on national television without proper cause." The show's producers ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
