Lionel Richie & Luke Bryan support Caleb Kennedy following controversial 'American Idol' exit

Chayce Beckham, Grace Kinstler and Willie Spence were revealed as the final three American Idol contestants at the end of Sunday night's semifinal episode—eliminating 16-year-old rocker Casey Bishop.

Earlier in the week, though, 16-year-old Caleb Kennedy was unexpectedly removed from the competition when an old video resurfaced online showing him seated next to a friend who had a white cloth on his head similar to those worn by the Ku Klux Klan. Idol didn't really acknowledge Kennedy's dismissal on air, other than host Ryan Seacrest vaguely noting that Kennedy would no longer be competing.

Judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Ritchie broke the silence through People after the semifinal aired.

"First and foremost, as judges, we love these kids," Bryan said. "We get emotionally involved in these kids. We want the best for Caleb. As far as the nuances on how ABC gets viewed, either way, decisions got made, and it's our job as judges to show up and do our best job and comment on the kids who are in front of us. But we wish nothing but the best for Caleb. It does make for a very, very challenging and upsetting week."

Ritchie added: 

"A lot of times, we think about it, we grow up and we make mistakes and we look at our life behind us many times and we say, 'God, what was I thinking about when I did that?' This was one of those situations where we kind of give him a big hug from the three of us. ... He has definitely has a talent. The problem is, this is one of those unfortunate decisions that had to be made and we move on. But this will be remembered in his lifetime and he'll know what it's all about."

Kennedy broke the news Thursday: