CANCELED: 16-year-old American Idol contestant forced to withdraw after a photo of him sitting next to a friend in a white hood causes racism stir

Kennedy was just 12 in the three-second video, and according to his mother, he and his friend had just watched the horror movie The Strangers, in which one of the characters sports a similar head covering.

Kennedy released a statement to his Instagram Wednesday apologizing to his fans, saying that in addition to withdrawing he would be stepping away from social media for some time.

"Hey y'all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise, but I am no longer gonna be on American Idol. There was a video that surfaced on the internet and it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way," Kennedy said. "I was younger and did not thing about the actions, but that's not an excuse. I wanna say sorry to all my fans and everyone who I have let down."

"I'll be taking a little time off social media to better myself, but saying that, I know this has hurt and disappointed a lot of people and made people lose respect for me. I'm so sorry! I pray that I can one day regain your trust in who I am and have your respect!" Kennedy continues. "Thank you for supporting me."

Kennedy's mother Anita Guy told the Herald Journal that he "doesn't have a racist bone in his body."

"I hate this has happened and how Caleb is being portrayed by people online," Guy said. "This video was taken after Caleb had watched the movie 'The Strangers: Prey at Night' and they were imitating those characters. It had nothing to do with the Ku Klux Klan, but I know that's how it looks. Caleb doesn't have a racist bone in his body. He loves everyone and has friends of all races."

While many cheered Kennedy leaving the show, in a sign that the tide of cancel culture may be turning, backlash against his departure from the show was quick and fierce.