American Idol season 19 contestant Caleb Kennedy is admitting that he wasn't emotionally ready to compete on the long-running singing competition series. The country music singer auditioned in front of Idol judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan by performing an original song called "Nowhere." All three voted him into the next round. Throughout his time on the show, he covered such songs as Allman Brothers Band's "Midnight Rider," Chris Stapleton's "Midnight Train To Memphis" and Willie Nelson's "On The Road Again." Aside from his audition, he sang other original music, including "When You Leave Tonight" and "Mama Said."

But Kennedy's journey came to an abrupt end when an old video surfaced showing him next to a friend who wore a KKK hood. He took to social media to announce his American Idol exit, saying, "This is gonna be a bit of a surprise, but I am no longer gonna be on American Idol." While he apologized, his mother later claimed they were merely acting out a scene from a scary movie. Many Idol viewers didn't buy that excuse, mainly because the costume from the movie looked nothing like a KKK hood, and wondered where his friend would get a hood like that in the first place. Despite the controversy, sales of Kennedy's self-titled EP soared up the music charts, similar to what happened after fellow country music artist Morgan Wallen came under fire for using a racial slur.

Related: American Idol: Caleb Kennedy's Songs Rise To Top Of Charts After KKK Video

Just over a month has passed since American Idol season 19 came to an end, which saw Chayce Beckham take home the top prize over runner-up Willie Spence and third-place finisher Grace Kinstler. Kennedy spoke to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal and admitted that he wasn't emotionally ready to compete on a show like Idol. "You think it's all going to be fun, and a lot of it is, but it will slap you in the face really quickly. I wasn't ready for it," Kennedy admitted. Idol is such a grueling competition, and it's a great way to prepare these young singers for being in the music industry, but it can obviously affect their emotional and mental state. As Kennedy said, "There's no way to emotionally prepare for Idol because no one is ready for it, no matter how you prepare."

Caleb Kennedy American Idol

Kennedy also revealed that the version of himself that fans saw on American Idol wasn't his real self, saying, "On Idol, that wasn't me. That world is so different." He went on to note that even though he's trying to be himself in his hometown, he's "scared of someone videoing me when I go to Academy or Wal-Mart. You have to worry about things like that now." Despite all of this, Kennedy made it clear that he doesn't regret being on Idol and still loved the experience.

It's unclear what Kennedy meant by "that wasn't me." The persona viewers saw every week was a teen who appeared shy and didn't talk a lot. Maybe he meant he's not as much of an introvert as he seemed to be in front of the cameras. What's also unclear is why Kennedy would be scared of someone filming him when he's at the store. Fans and the paparazzi should obviously be understanding of celebrities' privacy, even though that doesn't normally happen. Despite being in the public eye, they deserve to be left alone just like everyone else. However, Kennedy shouldn't be scared about being himself in public, unless he's worried someone will catch him in another controversial act. No matter how he behaves, though, his American Idol fans are sticking by him through thick and thin.

Next: American Idol: Chayce Beckham Admits He Saw His Name On Winner’s Card

Source: Spartanburg Herald-Journal