American Idol Bans David Archuleta’s Dad
May 12, 2008
American Idol contestant David Archuleta will begin rehearsing alone, after his father was banned from rehearsals Friday.
A source working for Idol confirms that Jeff Archuleta, rumored to be an aggressive stage parent, was told by producers that he can no longer join his 17-year-old son David as he prepares for the show.
The teenage contestant from Murray, Utah, is one of three contestants left as the show heads toward the May 20-21 finale. The fresh-faced teenager with the big voice has consistently been deemed a front-runner by the judges and been a consistent fan favorite.
Jeff Archuleta’s intense backstage involvement had become a source of concern for the series, the person connected with American Idol said—but it was a lyric change on Tuesday’s show that pushed producers to act.
Despite a warning, Jeff Archuleta insisted on altering “Stand by Me,” one of two songs his son sang on the show Tuesday. By adding a verse from Sean Kingston’s “Beautiful Girls,” the father incurred additional costs for American Idol, the source said.
Fox declined comment.
Earlier Friday, David Archuleta was honored at a hometown celebration held at his high school in Murray, which Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman declared “David Archuleta Day.”
The singer and his family declined to be interviewed at the event, but David Archuleta did speak with the Salt Lake City Fox affiliate, KSTU-TV. “Wow,” he exclaimed as he viewed the cheerleading squad outside his stretch limousine.
The story was first reported by TMZ.
