In a recent interview with EW executive producer Nigel Lythgoe claimed to he’s not seen any of the sexually explicit photos that have been circulating the internet of AI 6 contestant Antonella Barba. As the controversy grows, it’s unclear what action Idol or FOX may take but they have in the past disqualified anumber of semi-finalist for non-Idol related activities. At the moment, FOX is declining to comment on Barba’s status on the show.
Despite the growing controversy, Fox publicist Alex Gillespie told The Associated Press on Friday that the network will have no comment on the photos or whether they might affect Barba’s continued participation in American Idol’s sixth season competition. Gillespie also confirmed that, per the show’s standard policies, the network will not be making Barba or any of American Idol’s other 20 remaining sixth season semifinalists available to the media prior to their elimination from the competition.
American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe was slightly more forthcoming, telling Entertainment Weekly that he had only learned of the photos when the magazine contacted him to ask about them. “We have really good background checks on everybody, and we deal with that every season,” Lythgoe told EW in a report published on the magazine’s website on Friday. “It’s sad, isn’t it, that your best friends are the ones that come forward with information that will go to [The] Smoking Gun or put your photographs on the web?”
Based on a lack luster performance last week unless she drastically improves this coming week it probably won’t matter anyway. The question is though, will the photos help her chances or hurt her?
update: looks like the explicit photos are fakes. See this post for more.
February 26th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
Sadly, Antonella is like so many other young women these days…completely without morals and sexually promiscuous. They don’t seem to realize that they are protraying themselves as sluts and easy, and their values will carry on with them and affect their chances of good marriages with a decent man. Obviously she is well-endowed but does that have to be here value as a person? The U.S. is a very immoral and filthy nation with corruption in every aspect of our culture. We are going the way of ancient Rome, and it’s no wonder that we are called “the great satan” by Muslims. We have pushed God out and let satan rule. All that said, toss Antonella off of the show!
February 27th, 2007 at 6:36 am
I believe she should be kicked off the show. This is American Idol for singers, not for young women who pose for cameras giving blow jobs. She is a disgrace to young woman wanting to make it in the music field. She should have know sooner or later her pictures would have surfaced on the internet. In my opinion, she should be given her walking papers now, now later.
February 27th, 2007 at 11:17 am
Antonella Barba should never have been in the top 24, she is much less talented than some of the girls that didn’t make it through, including Bailey Brown. She should have been the first female cut last week as her performance was by far the worst of the 2 nights. The newly released photos simply prove that she has no class, no morals, and no sense! Sadly this is too often the case with young women today.
Does it matter that she had the poor judgement to allow these pictures to be made? Yes, because by being on American Idol she has put herself in a position to be a role model for other young women, and as the parent of a teen age girl I can assure you that is not the kind of person I want my daughter to model herself on! Should she be eliminated from AI because of these pics? Yes, the show has thrown others off for less and they were more talented performers. Young people need to think how these kinds of things will affect their careers, families, and lives before they do something so stupid, and parents, teachers, and other adults in a position to influence should make young people aware of the long term consequences of things like this.
February 28th, 2007 at 6:57 am
Absolutely not! She should be allowed to remain on the show just as the “Miss America” was allowed to reamin and the “Miss Teen USA”. Everyone deserves a second chance. Her boyfriend took these photos in the “privacy” of their surrounding and now he’s scorned and decided he wants to capitalize on them. This is American Idol; the entertaining industry. Look at the lives of “entertainers”, the majority of them have issues worse than this to deal with and that we as the “public” have been exposed to. She 20 years old. She has an entire lifetime ahead of her. Hopefully, as she matures, she will grow to know better, but for now, let’s leave her alone and let her have her moment.
February 28th, 2007 at 10:48 am
I think antonella should be gone. She shouldn’t have even made the cut. Marissa Rhodes and Bailey Brown were much better singers. I say kick her out and bring one of these girls in.
February 28th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
All the controversy about Antonella Barba is great to read about. What america doesn’t realize, and let’s not leave out the moron that started all of this, has made her an instant “superstar”. Even if she was taken out of running for the next American Idol, she will have offers from several labels. People will buy her records because of all of the controversy that surrounds her. She doesn’t take a bad picture either!
February 28th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
The kicked the large black woman off. Frenchi wasn’t preforming any sex acts. Why is this diiferent? Kick the little no singing, no morals whore off!
February 28th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Come on! Give me a break! Antonella Barba is only guilty of having back-stabbing friends or ex-boyfriends! In my opinion, the adult graphic photos are not even her…More importantly, if they actually are of her, so what. There is nothing wrong or illegal about having a healthy sexual appetite. What I think most people’s problem is; is that she’s become more famous in a few short weeks than most of us will become in our entire lives. Women hate her, and men want to be with her. It’s a fact of life. Anyone else writting comments on here that she should be kicked off the show need to grow up, and think for a minute! **Have you ever: let loose once in you life, or had a wild night, or snuck a drink before you were 21, lied to your parents, cheated on a test in school, or basically if you made and single mistake ever in you life, then you would realize that she’s only human. Basically, no one is perfect and there have been many people who have done a lot worse. You have to remember that this is a reality tv show. Key words TV SHOW. There is a war going on you know, Presidential Elections are beginning, we have constant wages of fuel prices, robberies, murders, gang shootings, school shootings, tax fraud, the rise and fall of the stock market, the constant terrorist threat, and a number of other things surrouding us, and people are worried wether or not Antonella Barba should be kicked off a show, or if she should or shouldn’t be considered a role model for teens or women in general. I say again…GROW UP!!!!!!! Stop being jealous of a young beautiful girl who has an opportunity to become a music star, or better yet an American Idol. I’m not saying that I think she is the best in the contest, I’m just saying that she’s not perfect; but I have news for you…NEITHER ARE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If anything, all of this will make her even more famous. If/when she is voted off the show, she will most likey appear on talk shows and radio programs. She will probably make a lot of money off of this. Just imagine, the title of the book…”How my fake friends and ex’s tried to get me kicked off of American Idol.” I’d buy the book, cd, dvd, magazine, or whatever just to throw it back in everyone’s face that spoke bad about her. I’d buy it just to prove that she is famous, and you aren’t. And ladies, chances are you so mad bacause she looks A LOT better than you do. It’s a sad fact of life. Women are jealous of other women. GROW UP!!
March 2nd, 2007 at 8:35 am
I think it is ashamed to use sexy pictures, and nudity to try to win a contest, the thing is she can’t even sing. She is the worst singer of all the contestants.
March 2nd, 2007 at 2:13 pm
i think that if “american idol” was wanting to send fantasia home b/c she was not ‘ a good role model for america” , then they should be ready to send antonella home for this. i just think it would be fair.
March 2nd, 2007 at 2:14 pm
joan you said it .. i was going to say that but i was not wanting to be too mean..