Kenedi Anderson Returns To Social Media After Dramatic American Idol Exit

Though still in the early days of the show's landmark 20th anniversary season, "American Idol" viewers are still stunned by the sudden departure of one of its frontrunners. On April 11, Ryan Seacrest announced on the show that the contestant who knocked all the judges socks off and earned herself a Platinum Ticket, Kenedi Anderson, had decided to quit the show.

Kenedi auditioned for "Idol" in the March 6 episode, singing Lady Gaga's hit "Applause" for judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie, while accompanying herself on the piano. All three judges were blown away. Bryan said, "You might be the biggest star we've ever seen," while Richie said, "You've answered our prayers." Perry made hilarious facial expressions as she marveled at Kenedi's audition, and said in shock, "I don't know how you haven't been recruited yet." All three gave her a standing ovation, and a Platinum Ticket, allowing Kenedi to go straight to the duets round of the competition in Hollywood.

But after she sang a moving cover of Christina Perri's "Human," Seacrest announced that Kenedi had left the competition. Though Kenedi explained on Instagram that she had to leave "for personal reasons," thanking the "Idol" cast, crew, and contestants, and her fans, for their support, she hasn't given more details about her reasons for leaving. That is, until her latest return to social media, which some fans are taking as a clue about her next steps.

A now-deleted TikTok video has a lot of Kenedi Anderson's fans talking. On April 13, Kenedi posted a brief chorus of a song she wrote, which many fans think is specifically about "American Idol" and why the 17-year-old rising star left the popular reality competition. "I need to find, need to find something better than what I had, and with no strings attached," she sang in the now-deleted video, per The Daily Mail. "Don't I deserve that? Something with no strings attached." Then she abruptly stopped, saying, "That's all you get."

Her fans — the "Kenicats," as Katy Perry had coined them during Kenedi's audition — immediately speculated that the song was about her "Idol" experience. One fan wrote, "Rumor has it you got a record deal....? Congrats if so." Could that be the "something better" she sang about? Another said, "Hope you got a better opportunity than what American Idol would have given you. You are way more than them!" 

While Kenedi hasn't revealed the full reason why she left "Idol," she has voiced her appreciation for her growing fan base. "I love my Kenicats," the singing phenom captioned a TikTok video on April 14. Perhaps Perry innocently wondering how Kenedi hadn't been recruited yet was encouragement for record companies to reach out to the young star — but Kenicats won't know until Kenedi shares her side of the story.