Laine Hardy’s performance on Monday night’s The Great Idol Reunion will still air, despite his recent arrest.
Representatives for Laine Hardy and American Idol confirmed to Music Mayhem that the “Memorize You” singer’s performance alongside Laci Kaye Booth will still appear on the much-anticipated reunion show.
While Hardy has reportedly been released from prison, his performance with Booth will continue as planned as The Great Idol Reunion special was pretaped in early April, prior to Hardy turning himself in to Louisiana State University Police.
When taping the episode, Hardy, alongside fellow Idol alumni such as Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, Kris Allen, David Cook and more, spoke with media about taking part in the iconic 20th Anniversary of the hit show.
“This is a huge milestone for American Idol and being a part of their 20th year anniversary is going to go down in history as part of this show, so, it’s pretty cool to be a part of it,” Hardy told Entertainment Tonight host Matt Cohen ahead of the show.
While the Idol performance will still air, Hardy was forced to cancel his appearance at the Mississippi Mudbug Festival, which was scheduled to take place on April 29, the same day that he surrendered to police and was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. His cancellation resulted in fellow Idol alum Hannah Everhart replacing him on the bill.
The Season 17 American Idol winner was booked into the prison on Friday (April 29). According to LSU spokesman Ernie Ballard, Hardy faces a felony charge of interception and disclosure of wire, electronic or oral communication.
The singer/songwriter allegedly planted a recording device in his ex-girlfriend’s residence on the LSU campus.
Prior to his arrest, Hardy spoke out on the allegations after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
“Earlier today, I received a warrant due to allegations made against me and have been fully cooperative with the Louisiana State University Police Department,” Hardy wrote. “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 continued, “However, due to the sensitive nature of this allegation, I humbly ask for privacy at this time. I have the utmost respect for the law and will assist in their investigation as needed moving forward.”
— Laine Hardy (@TheLaineHardy) April 29, 2022
At the time of his warrant, Hardy’s attorney, C Frank Holthaus, confirmed that the singer is fully cooperative with the LSU Police.
“I can confirm that Mr. Hardy did receive a warrant for his arrest earlier today and has been and will continue to be completely cooperative with the Louisiana State University Police Department on this matter,” Holthaus said. “Due to the public nature of Mr. Hardy’s profession, we ask for privacy at this time.”
The Great Idol Reunion will feature a series of duets, where former Idol winners and contestants will pair up with a fellow Idol alum from their season of the popular singing competition show for one-of-a-kind collaborations.
In addition to Hardy and Booth, Ruben Studdard, Jordin Sparks, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, David Cook, Kris Allen, Maddie Poppe, Caleb Lee Hutchinson, Willie Spence, and Grace Kinstler will return to the Idol stage for star-studded duets on the show.
Studdard will sing with Sparks; McCreery will perform alongside Alaina; Cook will be paired with Allen; Poppe will sing alongside her boyfriend Hutchinson; Spence and Kinstler will also take the stage together.
Former Idol judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson will also make special appearances during the special.
The Great Idol Reunion will air on Monday, May 2, at 8/7c on ABC.
