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American Idol winner Laine Hardy arrested days before his scheduled return to show

Laine Hardy from American Idol
Laine Hardy from American Idol. Pic credit: ©ImageCollect.com/Admedia

Laine Hardy, the Season 17 winner of American Idol, was arrested just three days before he was scheduled to appear on The Great Idol Reunion on Monday night.

Laine was supposed to sing a duet with that season’s Top 5 finisher Laci Kaye Booth on the episode.

It is unclear if Laine will be invited after his legal problems.

Why was Laine Hardy arrested?

According to TMZ, the charges against Laine are “interception and disclosure of wire, electronic or oral communication.”

Legal documents indicate that Laine was accused of putting a listening device in his ex-girlfriend’s dorm room to hear her conversations.

Police claimed they could hear Laine’s voice on a recording when he reportedly planted the device. There were allegedly recordings of a conversation between his ex and her mother about her breakup with the American Idol winner.

A warrant was issued for Laine’s arrest after an “active investigation” by Louisiana State University police, according to TMZ.

On Friday morning, Laine was arrested and booked.

Laine posted a message on Twitter, acknowledging the allegations made against him.

“I understand that my career has thrust me into the public spotlight, and I embrace that wholeheartedly as my entire world belongs to my music and my fans,” he wrote.

He then asked for privacy due to the “sensitive nature of this allegation.”

Laine said he would assist the investigation as needed moving forward.

Who is Laine Hardy on American Idol?

Laine Hardy won Season 17 of American Idol.

He was born and raised in Louisiana and had tried out for American Idol in Season 16 before he made it on the show in Season 17.

In his audition that season, he sang The Weight by The Band and went on to coast through to the finale where he beat Alejandro Aranda and Madison VanDenburg.

After American Idol, he released his first EP In the Bayou in 2018 and went out on his first headline tour in 2019. In September 2021, Laine released his debut album Here’s To Anyone.

His biggest hits came with his American Idol coronation song, Flame, which hit eighth on the Billboard charts. He also had a song hit the 41st spot in 2021 called Memorize You.

As mentioned, Laine Hardy was supposed to be on American Idol on Monday night. That episode will see past contestants like Ruben Studdard, Jordan Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Maddie Poppe, and more return to sing.

Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson will also return for that episode.

American Idol airs on Sunday and Monday nights at 8/7c on ABC.

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