Caleb Kennedy was a breakout star on American Idol back in early 2021, wowing fans with impressive renditions of Willie Nelson, Chris Stapleton, original songs and more. He was just 16 years old at the time, and his future in country music looked extremely bright. He was definitely young, but his talent was obvious.
However, his time on the show was cut short when a video of his friend (not him) wearing a white hood surfaced, from back when he was 12 years old. His mother released a statement saying that he was just a kid at the time, imitating a character from the slasher film The Strangers: Prey at Night. The video had the word “bow” the caption, which refers to a movie poster for the film where the three masked killers bow their heads to “prey.”
“I hate this has happened and how Caleb is being portrayed by people online. This video was taken after Caleb had watched the movie ‘The Strangers: Prey at Night’ and they were imitating those characters.
It had nothing to do with the Ku Klux Klan, but I know that’s how it looks. Caleb doesn’t have a racist bone in his body. He loves everyone and has friends of all races.”
16-year-old Caleb Kennedy made the final 5 on American Idol. A video clip surfaced on social media of him standing next to someone wearing a KKK hood. He was 12 at the time. Should he have been eliminated from the competition for something he did when he was 12 years old? pic.twitter.com/Doscy44CzX
— Steve (@oldguy_steve) May 17, 2021
But of course, 2021 was the height of cancel culture, and the 16 year old was booted from the show. And his chance to be a big country star only went downhill from there. The following year, the 17-year-old (at the time) was back home in South Carolina, and charged with DUI resulting in death after driving his car off the road, striking and killing 54-year-old Larry Duane Parris as he was standing outside of his garage.
At the time of accident, Caleb was taking Prozac, and claims he took one hit of a vape which he didn’t know had marijuana in it. His defense argues that he had a bad reaction, which severely impaired his driving and he nearly passed out behind the wheel. He car went off the road, down a driveway, and fatally struck Parris. He was arrested and charged with fatal DUI.
However, due to his mental health (he was placed on suicide watch in jail), and the pending results of the toxicology report, he was denied bail a whopping four times and has been in jail since February. The toxicology report wound up revealing that he had just trace amounts of THC in his system, not even enough to trigger a DUI in most states, along with the Prozac.
The family of the victim had been adamant that Kennedy should not be allowed to leave jail, meanwhile Kennedy’s attorney argued that he was minor with no criminal past, no alcohol in his system, who’s been extremely remorseful, and he argued that a number of repeat offenders and violent criminals are often granted bail. While absolutely devastating for all involved, especially the Parris family, I would argue that it was rather harsh to be denied bail that many times.
Months later, he was finally released and ordered to stay under house arrest at his South Carolina home, and he was required to receive mental health treatment while at home.
And now, after pleading guilty to driving under the influence resulting in death, 20 year old Caleb Kennedy was sentenced to 25 years in prison and a $25,100 fine. The sentence was reduced to 8 years, and a $15,100 fine, with 3 years to be served at home. He will be credited the time he’s already served, over 1,000 days, meaning he’ll likely only spend a year or 2 in a prison cell. Caleb will also have to undergo mental health and substance abuse counseling, in addition to five years of probation.
According to Greenville News, Caleb’s attorney called the punishment “fair,” however the family, as they did during his bail hearings, pushed for the 25 year maximum:
“He’s got no record, and he was a minor when this happened. This wasn’t such an egregious act that you see most of the time, where people were drinking and driving then they hit somebody at night or going the wrong way down the road. This was a weird reaction from his prescription medicine and possibly THC.”
He added:
“A very good person (Larry Parris) died, and I feel so bad for the Parris family. Caleb’s very remorseful and his heartfelt sympathies are extended to the Parris family. This sentencing starts the healing process for everybody involved in this situation.”
The toxicology report showed Kennedy had 1.5 nanograms per milliliter of THC, along with 66 nanograms per milliliter of Prozac (a relatively low amount given the optimal therapeutic range is somewhere between 50–480 ng/mL) in his system the day of the crash. South Carolina is one of the few states were marijuana is completely illegal, however in Illinois for example, 5 nanograms per milliliter is the DUI threshold, so as Kennedy’s lawyer argued, we’re talking about a trace amount of THC. As much as the evidence seems to indicate a tragic accident, the law is the law, and under South Carolina law, Kennedy was driving under the influence… and bad reaction or not, the result was the death of an innocent man.
But man, what a tough situation all the way around. Obviously, your heart breaks for the Parris family who lost father, a son, and a husband, and they’re clearly still hurting as evidenced by the fact that they pushed for the maximum sentence. And that anger and resentment is to be expected. But your heart also breaks for a talented young kid who had the whole world in front of him at just 16 years old. Cancel culture sends him home from the show over a photo he took when he was 12, and then while at home, takes a hit of a vape that dramatically alters the course of his life forever. And destroys another family in the process.
It’s such a tragic Butterfly Effect scenario that makes you wonder how everyone’s lives would’ve been different if not for a stupid picture he took when he was 12…
Watch a 16-year-old Caleb perform an original song “When You Leave Tonight” on American Idol:
