Jermaine Jones gave an interview to “Showbiz Tonight” and explained he was completely caught off guard by American Idol production’s decision to eliminate him from the Season 11 competition. Jones discussed what he expected at the sit down with Nigel and Ken and how he felt about it being shown to the Idol audience.
“I thought they were bringing it to my attention,” Jones said in reference to his criminal past. “Letting me know that now they are aware of, you know, this, that and the third. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but…
Until they said it, I had no clue what was going to happen … I was shocked, but I can’t really express what my emotions were at that time.”
Jermaine went on to explain that he wished they hadn’t shown the meeting, but how he was humbled by the situation and learned from the incident. Take note, future American Idol Hopefuls, don’t walk in to a room with Nigel and a flock of cameramen for a “private meeting!”
What I found most interesting in the interview was how Jermaine Jones believed he had covered all his bases. Jones explained he had confirmed he had past arrests when filling out his American Idol 2012 application. Combine that with the work he had done with lawyers to clear up what he thought to be his existing legal issues and Jones was confident he was in the clear. He was not aware of any outstanding warrants and when asked if any actually existed he replied, “Not to my knowledge. Everything that needs to be taken care of, as far as that’s concerned, my team is handling it very well.”
Whether or not you agreed with Jermaine’s expulsion from American Idol, it was certainly an unfortunate turn of events for anyone to experience, especially on an international stage. Best of luck out there.
Source: Today Show
Sad to see him go, but he wouldn’t have won anyways.
Sad to see him go, but he wouldn’t have won anyways.
More shocked to see Shannon go – after Jermaine’s disqualification, I thought producers would follow past year’s examples and not have any elimations last night. I waited for the “producer’s save” even until the credits rolled. Shame on Idol. Again.
Why are you shocked? There is no way Jermaine didn’t know about his legal issues. The fact that he used false names and was still free means that he got sprung from jail before they processed his prints.(mama to the rescue?) He is the one who should be “shamed.” His acts were criminal, he put Idol in a bad light, after they saved his sorry butt and brought him back. (which made the number of contestants uneven anyway.) The elimination numbers were back to par. Last year the judges made the mistake of using their save too early, and this year they brought back the mamas boy, skewing the numbers in the first place.
First off, I do disagree with him for not telling the producers his situation. I don’t think the producers handled that situation well. They shouldn’t have broadcasted his business out there like that. That should have been a private matter. What Ryan said before they showed the video should have been enough. They didn’t have to show the actual meeting. Yes he should be ashamed for hiding this matter, but American Idol should be ashamed for handling the situation that way. You should be ashamed for not seeing that!!!! Put yourself in his shoes!!!!
So gangsta
HEJUN HAS TO GO>>>THE VOTING IS RIGGED> HES AWFUL>>>HIS FAMILY IS DOING SOME TYPE OF EXCESS SPEED DIALING> HES AWFUL>
I thought AI should be ashamed of themselves..come into a private meeting…dont mind all the cameras, and dont mind that we are going to show this tape to a million people….I thought that was the rudest thing to ever happen on this show…guilty or not, everyone deserves privacy in such a personal nature…that stunk.
i agree. regardless, that was a shabby treatment to a contestant. he deserved a certain degree of privacy
I do agree. This should have been a private discussion. Any employer would have huge legal expousure terminating a person in front of an audience. Okay American Idol is somewhat different in that they sponsor this competition. Idol should have done their homework before this situation presented itself. Jermaine would not have won idol but he has a voice perfect for Broadway. Once he clears up his legal issues in total, that is where he should head. He was one of my favoriates and was so upset when he didn’t make the original top group. Everything said, he has a wonderful voice.
I totally agree with!!!! That was handled very wrong!!!! What Ryan said should have been enough. No details needed!!!!!
Yes i absolutely i agree with you. They did him wrong and they should be ashamed of themselves. He deserve to leave with dignity. We all make mistakes.
Things had already happen…move on.
this is jmo……even if this information was found out about if he had (fat chance) made it to top 3, he deserved to be eliminated! Idc what anyone says, I think he knew at all times that this could happen and probably just prayed he could get through it workout being found out about. God answers prayers…but in His own way. He also knew and consented to be filmed at any time and for any reason, I’m thinking (don’t know that for a fact). You cannot tell me that when he walked in that room that he didn’t wonder if he’d gotten caught…for real. And he was too calm for me…considering how emotional he always got any other time before the truth came out.
Now with all that said…….
If all involved (application processors, producers, etc) knew before and waited until now to make it public, then shame on them! And what I mean by that is if that is why they decided to make it a top 13 guys knowing they could do this later for ratings, again, shame on them (AI crew).
And another thing…will it be found out at a later date that Jermaine accepted some sort of ‘ deal’ for helping them with keeping their ratings up with ‘ his’ story, well I hope it burns all involved in the buttocks.
Tina
Bourg, LA
A die hard AI fan!
First of all!!!!! Die HArd Al Fan or not, you should be ashamed for writing this!!!!!!! Bottom line is, they handled it wrong. NO IF ANDS OR BUTS ABOUT IT. Grow up and put yourself in his shoes!!! Would you want someone to show this to millions of people!!!!!!!! Yes they needed to follow the rules and eliminate him. Don’t disagree with that. It could have been handled it in a different way. What Ryan said before they showed the taping was enough. No additional information was needed!!!! Go sit down with that foolishness Tina (die hard al fan)
Did you stop reading after first few words???? Read the whoe thing…i don’t agree with the way they handled it. So get off your high horse sha!
Oh and I’m 48….all grown up!
Spell whole right and just because you are 48 doesnt mean you are grown in the mind. Remember that in the future. Goodbye!
I think Jermaine Jones showed an enormous amount of retstraint during hie “private meeting” with producers during his humiliating ousting from the show. Do they not think it bad enough that he has to be eliminated because of the rules about disclosure? Is that not enough? He has now been punished twice…once by the elimination and worst, second for the public display of the producers wanting to make a “scapegoat” out of this gentle giant. No one is perfect, but by the same token, even criminals do not get punished for the same crime twice! Hang your heads in shame, American Idol, and stop pretending to be holier than thou. I bet there are skeletons in YOUR closets that you are being protected against! Good luck Jermain, and thank you for a glimpse, albeit a tiny one, of your incredible talent. Its been a pleasure xx
Agree!!!!!! Well said!!!!!!
In fact, I’m surprised they didn’t have a bunch of cameras and the police waiting for him as soon as he exited the interview room. Does anyone know what became of this issue? I’m assuming AI still at least flew him back home, but did they notify the authorities that he was on his way and which flight it would be? Just maybe, his legal ‘sins’ weren’t terrible or glamorous enough to rate their coverage . Or perhaps the local authorities wouldn’t allow AI to film it, So they didn’t bother to cover it. (See how easy it is to think the worst of people)! I too found the way this was handled absolutely horrible! The early leak to the news so it would boost viewing rates, and the ambush! Not just ‘shame on you” AI, But up yours!! I doubt you’ve had the trials in life that this contestant has had. Go home , count your money, and think about it!!
there was no need to call the police since there were NO warrants. the whole thing is just so horrifying. Jermaine was in a verbal fight with a friend years ago and fell down the stairs which resulted in the police being called and him having to go in an ambulance and get a screw in his foot. everyone got arrested. There was no violence. but some trash papers are calling it a violent fight? he gave a phoney name to a cop when he got caught driving on the suspended list. stupid stupid stuff that sometimes young people do and yes it is wrong but by no stress of the imagine does it make him a hardenned criminal. he had fines to pay, they were NO WARRANTS. I wish he sues the pants off of all involved. AI and all the trashy news magazines that didnt bother to check sources and credentials.
That was totally handled wrong and with no class on American Idols part. I do hope that Germaine gets everything straightened out and goes on to a good career.
They shouldn’t have televised that. It was all for the drama. I’m glad they give him a bit of a send off though. I didn’t watch the part where they talked to jrmaine. Whatever he did, that wasn’t fair to air it in public. I flipped it back on when they showed him singing.
Producers have NO Class. You would expect that kind of behavior and lack of class from a child. Producers should be ashamed of yourself. Hope you feel better now publicly humiliating a person for what you think was good television. I AM SHAKING HEAD IN DISGUST
This is just one side of the story. He lied on his entry form and he is probably lying now. The lying opened him up to this and he is not fault free in this situation. As far as AI humiliating people in front of the camera. They have been doing that since season 1 by airing all the bad auditions and we have all been laughing about it. So why is everyone getting so torn up about it now. Give me a break! He knew his legal situation and he did not disclose everything in advance. He just got caught and if he is supposed to be from such a humble back ground why does he have a “Team” handling his legal matters. I don’t have a team. If I get a speeding ticket I have to find a lawyer that doesn’t charge an arm and leg….impossible….to handle that for me. So anywho calm down everyone. It’s just a TV show.
So, your criticizing everyone else’s opinion on this page, and calling me out for voicing my opinion on another page. Good show Taymaro. Good show.
I didn’t criticize you for voicing your opinion and I am not criticizing others here. I am just stating my opinion on the matter. Is that not what this blog is for. I didn’t say these people shouldn’t feel like the production staff was wrong for airing that. I actually agreed with them and said that they have been doing it all along and no need to get bent out of shape about them continuing to embarrass people.
What I did criticize you for was your “holier than thou” attitude. You say people are not voting for contestants based on their vocal ability and you claim to be able to recognize a good singer better than the average blogger. You also stated or implied that people are not voting based on vocal ability as the “90%” most important thing. Well stop the presses! If they wanted the contestant to win based on vocal ability alone they wouldn’t let your average Joe do the deciding would they?
Bottom line is that they are looking for someone who can entertain the public and that the public will accept so they can sell music and make money. It has nothing to do with who the best singer is.
And who is the number one consumer for music these days. I’ll tell you who, Teens, Tweens, and Twenties. And those are the people deciding who the next American singer is that deserves to be idolized. And rightfully so IMO.
And plus every post that I make here is aimed at one goal. That goal being to try and get my favorites and my picks to the finale. I am just playing the game. Get used to that as long as they let me continue to blog here. LOL It’s all a game to me and if a contestant is talented they will be recognized on the show. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter who wins as far as a career is concerned. I am just having fun and playing the game and trying to sway others to pull for my favorites and vote for them. It’s just a game to me. A contest if you will. No hard feelings intended. Ask Ed. He and I went at it during The X Factor and we had a blast. He was pulling for Josh and I was pulling for Melanie and we went down to the wire. I hope that happens again if I can remember who he is voting for….Elise right?
Hey, I am not being sarcastic here. I am dead serious. Maybe your team could produce a show where all the contestants perform behind a screen or off screen and people only vote on the voice alone. It would be interesting to find out what would happen there huh?
You can think all you want that I have a holier than thou attitude. You can think all you want that my analysis comes off as insulting. You dont have to read it. One of the rules of these Forums state that you cannot insult other users, so the authors would remove my comments if they really thought they were insulting. I never said I claim to be able to recognize a good singer better than the average blogger, our team are more like Baseball umpires then fans in the stands. We have the obligation as musicians to be neutral and give our honest opinions and back it up with analysis. But at the end of the day, it is our opinion too.
To your point about your goal being to get your favorites voted in. Good for you. That is not what our goal is. Our goal is to expose the texting problem that has been acknowledged by the producers, and to maybe get the word out about adopting a new voting system similar to X Factor and DWTS.
Just because we also offer personal analysis about the voters, does not mean we are trying to sway others. Your sarctastic comment about “stopping the presses” was not appreciated nor necessary. I would like to find common ground with you, but your not getting anywhere talking like that.
That all being said, I am not going away, and neither are you, so either we are going to have to agree to disagree, and tolerate each other. What do you say?
to your comment regarding Teens, Tweens, and Twenties…
I agree that they are the largest consumers of music, because they all came to my concerts and bought our cds. I am well aware of that. I just think it would simplify things if the text per device was just 1, and then you could call once.
I agree with that. But you know they want to be able to say they had a gazillion votes. So I really don’t think that will happen. It would simplify things for sure. But don’t you think the enthusiastic little ones would borrow everyone’s cell phone that they know didn’t vote and text in a vote from each one. Then they will open multiple accounts on Facebook and Twitter and vote there too. Then they will vote from their desktop, lap top, Xbox 360, tablet and smart phone data plan too. I know that all of the people in my house have a twitter account now and they all voted 50 times for Melanie Amaro every week during The X Factor from their Facebook ID. And I’m not even a teenie bopper but I was competing against Ed and that Ed is some tough competition let me tell ya. LOL
The multiple facebook accounts, twitter accounts, laptop, xbox 360, and tablet can all be tracked via ip sniffing. So it would be one vote per IP address. Even if its a rotating IP address, the dynamic signature still displays consistant data. It can be done, its been done. The smart phone data plan would be an extra vote, but thats it.
Now the borrowing of cell phones, if people really wanted to do that, then more power to them. That is dedication, my friend. They deserve the extra votes then.
X factor must allow them to vote up to 50 times from the facebook ID. That can be eliminated too, but at least 50 is less than 1000 texts in two hours.
Yeah but what about the producers wanting to always announce record numbers of votes each week? You can’t quash that desire to always want to top the competition, the tallies from last week and last season and so forth and so on.
I don’t understand. Why are you wanting to reward dedication through multiple phones but not multiple votes? That doesn’t make sense to me. What’s the difference. Might as well let it remain as is. I don’t think it would change the percentage. The old saying goes if you can’t beat them join them. I guess if a person feels strongly enough about it they will jump in there and vote for two hours just like the kids do. If they did that then the percentages would still stay about the same. It doesn’t really matter about the total number. It’s the percentage that each contestant gets that matters. I really think that if certain contestants can tap into that demographic then they have done what they came to do. That’s what this competition is all about. The contestants have to play to win and I think they all understand that it isn’t just about the voice. I can tell Skylar does at least. And if they are voting based on good looks then I guess that contestant just has a little edge on the competition just like some athletes are just gifted with certain hand eye coordination and athletic ability and it comes easier for them. Everyone is looking for that edge over the competition. The rest just have to step up their game to try and overcome that slight disadvantage.
It’s just like ole Jermaine up there. He was in a competition. All sports games are also competitions so think of it as a sporting event. When athletes accrue penalties or even get thrown out of the game they don’t keep it a secret. So I don’t understand why everyone would expect Idol to keep Jermaine’s cause for elimination a secret. He was thrown out of the game for breaking the rules and they needed to explain why just like they do in other types of competitions.
“”Yeah but what about the producers wanting to always announce record numbers of votes each week?””
That is what the deciding factor for the producers to keep the voting procedure the way it is.
“”I don’t understand. Why are you wanting to reward dedication through multiple phones but not multiple votes?””
I am not wanting to reward using multiple phones, but if it were one vote per device, I think you would stop seeing a pattern of the following:
-So many girls getting eliminated early
-The American Idol finalist doing terrible as far as album sales goes (Got to hand it to Scotty Mccreery for breaking this trend. I didnt care for him as an artist, but alot of people did, so he proved our team wrong.) What do you think it says about American Idol when the winner gets kicked off RCA records the very next year? (Kris Allen, Lee Deewyze) The reason one vote per device would change this trend is that it balances the voting power throughout the demographic.
There is an assumption that the majority of people that watch this show are teens, people in their twenties, and preteens. This is a false statement. The median age for American Idol is getting older each year. It is now over 40, which means that more older people watch American Idol then younger. It only APPEARS that the younger demographic watch the show more because they are the ones who text a mile per minute for their favorite contestant. Yes, I concede that everyone of all ages could step on board and get on facebook, twitter, xbox, smart phone, laser gun, mind ray, tricorder, and vote vote vote….but its just not realistic for most people over the age of 35-40. They may have facebook and twitter, but they are not as inclined to go crazy voting for two hours when they are busy working late at work or changing diapers and have to DVR idol.
Older folks are more likely to call in once, or twice, and leave it at that. And Taymaro, if you disagree and say you call and text all the time, then thats awesome…you love the show that much. The average viewer does not.
Think about it this way. Ryan Seacrest said during the finale that they recieved 100 million votes. If someone could text 1000 times in 2 hours for their favorite, that averages out to 100000 people. JUST 100000.
I gaurentee that by shifting the power throughout the demographic, it gives a better understanding of WHO the best singer is. Because its not JUST the teens deciding who wins, but EVERYONE is contributing near their share.
On the subject of Jermaine, you have broken my argument and convinced me that you are correct. Good job. I agree with you now on Jermaine.
seriously? you just like to make stuff up and then type it? Jermaine did tell them he was arrested in the past. HE DID circle yes on the application! he did speak to a lawyer before going to hollywood. He was upfront. they did a background check. this was for ratings! btw: there are no warrants. that is bogus. his interview was EDITted. why the 13 male? they used him., every show centered around him. then BAM.
Okay so something doesn’t add up here. In the interview when he was dismissed the producers asked him why he wasn’t more forthcoming. He said because he thought he could fix the problem before it became a problem. So that proves he didn’t tell them everything. Then in the interview afterwards he didn’t even say then that he disclosed everything. He only said that he circled “yes” beside past criminal charges. He didn’t say that he disclosed everything or that he told them about pending criminal charges. He wasn’t really that upset in the interview afterward. He got his platform for exposure and Idol did not have to air that last performance of his considering the circumstances but they did and it was probably his best performance of the season. He was very reserved in what he would say against the show and he was very political in his answers to the reporter so I say he was either a willing participant in all this or he was guilty and knew it.
All that said I disagree that it shouldn’t have been aired.
If I look at this like a sporting event. When a player on a team violates the rules and is penalized or kicked out of the game they don’t keep the offense a secret. The officials state what rule was broken and who broke it and they state what the penalty is. Jermaine broke the rules and they told us what rules and kicked him out of the game. Nothing unusual here. I really don’t see the big problem.
Sad to see this class act go. Good luck Jermaine! You had a great voice!
Its a shame it wasn’t all sorted before he became a contestant as no one is perfect, everyone has a past and he was obviously trying to put his behind him so I wish him every success in the future as he has a very unique and brilliant voice, good luck Jermaine.
Hopefully behind this he can get everything cleared up and go on with his life. God Bless Jermaine.
People who has not won sometimes end up more famous than the winners.
Does anyone honestly think the show did of know of this before they let him come back the first time? This is a multimillion dollar business, ratings and money are the only thing they care about! The producers used him to boost up the falling ratings, they don’t care about Jermaine or any of the other contestants unless it is beneficial to them,bottom line.
a view from a whitey in dark africa is that the way the issue with Jermaine was handled is shocking and disgusting. we all understand that there are rules that must be adhered to. whether a person play by them according to the officials surely needs to be treated with great sensitivity.
exceptional artists future can be destroyed by the approach that the idols panel took. surely a short statement about rules that were contravened that lead to expulsion would be enough! typical american detailed sensionalism dragging your nation down and spoiling such a great program, started from a good English idea.
surely great nations show great maturity in adversity??
I feel let down by Jermaine, big times. Although he was not my favorite – not at all – I celebrated when he made it to the top 13 – could only imagine the thrill and pride that his mother must have felt. I wish him the best, that he learns from his mistakes, settles his pending warrants, and moves on – like a real man. Thanks to the producers reafirming that our youths can look up to AIs as real role-models. For the civic lesson they have taught to this generation is priceless – and that’s what matters most.
It says keep the conversation civil but the tone of the reporting is so dismissive and cynical which is v disrespectful of the contestants. If the reporter does not like the show or is too long in the tooth to be any way positive then pass the baton to someone who doesn’t wing at us. We deserve better and more respectful reportage period.
that meeting should not have been aired,he’s a great singer and hope he manages to move on from this and make it big in on his own, he has a voice that should be heard.
Actually I like the fact that they showed the meeting. It gives me a better impression of Jermaine, I thought he handled it really well. If I didn’t see that tape, my impression of him would be really bad (fake names, multiple warrants, fighting).
Well for my thinking bad of him, this has cleared up the fact that he did indeed admit to arrests and lawyer issues. If others heard them say to him that this was a private meeting, by airing it public it doesn’t matter if his warrants are public or not, he has witnesses to their saying it was private and yet they aired it. That is suable. As for Steve Tyler offending the daughters of celebrity, before he gets caught like Abdul singing privately to contestants he better let the public know he wasnt being partial or sexist it was Justin Biever.
I can see why no save when you have 10 people in which the best may need to be saved when they are down to 4 people
Jermaine jones has gift from god
I do admire him for trying to do something to turn his life around.
Please remember the enemy will try to knock you down by telling you the lie that you are not good enough but do not listen GOD know you and loves you
Have hope and keep praying and my dream to see that beautiful voice singing with Mandisha and New Boys at a Spirit West Coast Event Remember God loves you and also I believe in you