'Idol' Contestant Danced At Gay Strip Club, Venue Claims

LOS ANGELES — David Hernandez's stripper past didn't come back to haunt him on Tuesday night's "American Idol." Hernandez's three-year stint as a male stripper wasn't even mentioned during the live telecast, which featured the 24-year-old from Glendale, Ariz., performing a rendition of Celine Dion's "It's All Coming Back to Me Now." However, acerbic judge Simon Cowell did mutter something about stripping, off camera, immediately after the song ended.

Randy Jackson called Hernandez's singing "pitchy" but said he had a "big ol' voice." Paula Abdul raved that Hernandez had some of the "best vocals." And Simon Cowell said it wasn't as good as last week, but Hernandez had secured himself a place in the finals.

On Thursday, 16 semifinalists will be narrowed down to the final 12 contestants.

Other than Cowell, no one alluded to Monday's news that Hernandez worked for three years in Phoenix at Dick's Cabaret. There, he would appear fully nude and perform lap dances for the club's "mostly male" clientele, club manager Gordy Bryan told The Associated Press on Monday.

It apparently wasn't Hernandez's "most embarrassing moment" either. (Contestants had to 'fess up about theirs during the show.) In a taped segment before his performance, Hernandez said his red-faced moment happened when he discovered he had "a pea-sized booger" in his nose following a photo shoot.

Fox and the producers have declined to comment about Hernandez.

In 2003, semifinalist Frenchie Davis was dismissed from "Idol" because of her appearance on an adult Web site, but Antonella Barba remained in the competition last year after racy photos of her surfaced on the Internet.

Third-place finisher Nikki McKibbin from the first "Idol" season briefly worked as stripper before the show, according to Joe Cannizzaro, president of McKibbin's record label, Chenoa Music. Like Hernandez, McKibbin wasn't dismissed from the show when her history as a stripper was publicly revealed _ nor was it disclosed on the show.

Dick's Cabaret manager Bryan told the AP he was aware that Hernandez was a vocalist, but that Hernandez never sang at the club. Bryan said he now believes Hernandez stopped working at the strip club on Sept. 30, 2007, because of his participation in "Idol."

On a video posted on AmericanIdol.com, Hernandez said he broke the lease on his apartment and lived out of his car before auditioning for "Idol." And, when asked in a Q&A posted on the site which talent would he would most like to have if he couldn't sing, Hernandez responded: "Dancing! I'm horrible at that."

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AP writer Erin Carlson in New York contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

American Idol: http://www.americanidol.com/

Comments

[Hephaestion]

09:15 PM on 03/05/2008

I wish they'd let him strip on "Idol." He's hot!

The show could use a little perking-up, too.

The guy who said he thinks there's an anti-heterosexual bias on Idol has evidently not heard the eight hundred thousand anti-gay "jokes" and comments that Seacrest and Cowell have made on the show. As a gay man, I have noticed them. Some heteros evidently don't notice hate directed towards others if it's not directed towards them.

[Lthrgrey]

08:57 AM on 03/05/2008

Interesting that this is an issue, when James, a supposedly straight contestant on Big Brother, admits to doing hard core gay porn. Various Big Brother chat rooms even have links to him in action.

[Silpat]

05:56 AM on 03/05/2008

Hummmm....Frenchy had to leave and the gay stripper gets to stay.

[mch755]

01:59 AM on 03/05/2008

I agree with alot of folks here, when I say, so what? I don't see any issue here, he didn't break the law or anything. He took advantage of his good looks and made money, whats wrong with that? I agree he probably won't win AI, but he won't be kicked off for this. People will forget and just concentrate on the singing as it should be.

[hiprogloho]

11:32 PM on 03/04/2008

This is a glaring double standard. Female contestants who exhibit the slightest trace of a pro sexual past are shown the exit. Moreover, it seems the show has become a talent showcase for effeminate male drama queens. Besides old gold cover tunes, is masculinity in music and pop culture to be discriminated or dissed as old fashioned as well, Simon Coward? I wonder.

[xdevildawg4u]

01:19 AM on 03/05/2008

Wow, way to stand up against misogyny in the same breath as you spew misogyny, misandry and homophobia.

It must be confusing to be you.

[LeoMarvin]

01:35 AM on 03/05/2008

Don't forget also being wrong. Antonella Barba was NOT shown the door after her semi-nude pics were posted on the web.

[hiprogloho]

10:20 AM on 03/05/2008

Given the biased ratio of AI pretty boys to straight males, the true hate here is called heteophobia. American Idol discriminates against non effeminate males. That is a fact that can be proven statistically. Using the usual labels to skirt the issue is poor debate skill.

[factanonverba]

11:24 PM on 03/04/2008

Every cute gay boy is one at point or another. It is who we are. Part of us. We like to flaunt it especially if we got it.

[blndrhed]

10:37 PM on 03/04/2008

I didn't know Ahmadinejad was the executive producer for American Idol.

[Aquinas]

10:12 PM on 03/04/2008

Well, I hope he's in.
We're all behind him here in Phoenix.

[TheAirport]

10:03 PM on 03/04/2008

Really? I was a little to preoccupied with the 2008 presidential election to worry about the sexual preferences of contestants on a television show.

[woodcut]

09:53 PM on 03/04/2008

I thought HP.com was more sophisticated than this. What a ridiculous waste of computer space. Elton John was in his closet for years. He came out, & sold more music. Times change.

[BigLib]

01:39 AM on 03/05/2008

More "sophisticated'- no.

[PuddyKatz]

09:28 PM on 03/04/2008

he seems like a very sweet boy (or boi) and this really shouldn't be held against him!

[Henk]

07:42 PM on 03/04/2008

Of course stuff like this is going to come out. They probably knew from the start. The show loves it, just like Simon's crankiness and Paula's drug issues its a big game, all about voyeurism. So please spare me the "shock," you know you love it. Now get your asses out there and buy more worthless junk from the shows advertisers.

[YA]

05:49 PM on 03/04/2008

so?

[Fairfax]

05:27 PM on 03/04/2008

Strip club dancer?

So what?

[dax49]

04:51 PM on 03/04/2008

this whole article smacks of homophobia. why don't you list the former jobs of all the contestants?