Should Escorts, Adult Stars Or Strippers Be Allowed On ‘American Idol’?
ABC/John Fleenor Reading Time: 3 minutes
Each season, contestants on American Idol come from all walks of life. Some are students, soldiers or full-time musicians. Others like Season 19 contestant Erika Perry have careers in sex work. The show has had a rather controversial history in dealing with contestants that have careers in sex work.
Should escorts, adult stars and strippers be allowed on American Idol? We tackle this question in this week’s recap show which you can watch down below.
Should Contestants In Sex Work Be Disqualified From ‘American Idol’?
Erika opened up about life as an escort in a podcast with popular internet personality Adam22. The podcast took place in 2019 and featured her two friends Hayden and Richelle. Erika admitted to using the site Seeking Arrangements to find men to hook up with for money.
“I f*cked this guy in Laguna Beach, it was like $1,000 and afterward I was like yo I can’t believe how much money I made from f*cking someone,” Erika says in the video. She also happens to be one of the many contestants that was sent to Hollywood on this season of American Idol. Erika performed her own unique version of Katy Perry’s “E.T.” which earned mixed reviews from the judges. But in the end, they all decided to take a chance on her. Erika still remains in the competition.
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As we discuss in the recap show, Erika and other current or former sex workers should not be disqualified from the competition. Erika openly admitted to working as an escort in this podcast and does not have anything to hide. This of course makes us look at the history of American Idol as a whole and how the show handles these kinds of scenarios.
The Shows History With Contestants In The Line Of Sex Work
There has been one instance in the past where a contestant was disqualified due to nude photos surfacing online. Frenchie Davis was kicked off the show in 2003 for topless photos that she took for an adult site when she was around 19 years old. Many pointed out a double standard a few seasons later when Antonella Barba also had her nude photos surface online. Antonella was allowed to remain in the competition.
In 2008, former nude stripper David Hernandez was allowed to stay on the show after reports began surfacing that he worked at a Phoenix strip club. “We’ve had strippers on the show before,” executive producer Ken Warwick said at the time. “We’re never judgmental about people who do things like that.”
“If it were some sort of heavy porn, then maybe we’d have to take action. But certainly not on this” he continued. So this definitely still rings true to the rules of the competition today.
Former American Idol contestant Becky O’Donohue posed in near topless photos in Maxim before auditioning for the show. The images were taken in 2004 and resurfaced once Becky made her way onto the show. Becky was allowed to remain on the show and even made it to the Top 24 in 2006.
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Let us know in the comments down below if you think escorts, adult stars and strippers should be allowed on American Idol.
