'Idol' accused of weight bias; show denies claim

[April 13, 2011]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A 19-year-old "American Idol" studio audience member claims that she was barred from a front-row seat and told it was because of her weight, an allegation denied by the show's production company.

Ashley Kauffman, of Riverside, Calif., had complained to an audience coordinator at last Thursday's show that she was separated from friends who did get front-row seats, according to Manfred Westphal, a spokesman for producer FremantleMedia North America.

The allegations are "simply untrue," Westphal said Tuesday.

According to a FremantleMedia statement, Kauffman and five other friends were among the first to arrive for the show and were told that there were "six great seats" available, three in one row and three in another.

Kauffman was a guest of a Riverside high school dance troupe that has attended previous telecasts of the Fox show and received choice seats because of its enthusiasm for "Idol," Westphal said.

The group agreed to split up and Kauffman "did not sit alone or in the back of the house" as she alleged, FremantleMedia said. "In fact, she and her remaining party were seated just four rows behind their friends, directly in camera shot, in some of the best seats in the house."

Kauffman was in a row that included a VIP guest of judge Steven Tyler, Westphal said. They were a few rows behind the judge's table in a spot that has been featured on camera before, he said.

Hannah Solarzano, 19, said Tuesday that she was part of Kauffman's group, which traveled from suburban Riverside to Los Angeles for the show but hadn't met her before that night. Solarzano said she was seated next to Kauffman and didn't hear any insults being directed at her.

"Nobody started talking about the comment that was supposedly made to Ashley until she brought it up," Solarzano said. "I never heard those words except from her."

While she couldn't support her account, Solarzano said, it obviously stings to be labeled as overweight.

"You don't call a girl 'fat,' ever. It's code," Solarzano said. "I understand how upsetting that can be. But, c'mon, honey, it's 'American Idol.' You've got to move on from there. Big deal."

Solarzano recounted that she was singled out by a studio employee and told she couldn't sit in the front row because she was wearing shorts. Others in the group were taken aback, with one saying, "Oh my God, did you hear how she said that to you?" Solarzano said.

It worked out fine, she said. "I was three people away from Steven Tyler, so I wasn't complaining."

But Kauffman did, repeating several times that a male studio employee had told her she was moved back because she was fat and couldn't sit up front with the "skinny girls," Solarzano said.

When Kauffman subsequently complained online about her experience at the show, the audience coordinator that initially booked her group contacted Kauffman to discuss what had happened, Westphal said.

The coordinator told her there was no bias, that people of all "ages, shapes and sizes" sit in the front row all the time, and that Kauffman simply was being seated according to her ticket for the fifth row of the floor section, he said.

Attempts to reach Kauffman, including a message left at a phone number listed in her father's name, were unsuccessful Tuesday.

It's not unusual for cute young things to be seen gathered in a sort of "mosh pit" near the stage, gazing adoringly up at their favored contestant. That happened last week with deep-voiced country singer Scotty McCreery, 17, of Garner, N.C., who was swarmed on-stage by female admirers.

But, like most reality shows, the "Idol" audience and contestants generally have reflected American diversity, including when it comes to size.

An examination of a recording of the episode attended by Kauffman showed that it opened with a sweeping camera shot that included a cross section of audience members, including some who could be characterized as plus-size.

The episode also generated another controversy -- over the outcome of audience voting: Gifted songbird Pia Toscano, 22, of New York City was eliminated, a shocker that provoked tears from Jennifer Lopez and a Randy Jackson warning that "no one is safe" in the contest.

"American Idol," in its 10th season, is TV's top-rated series.

[Associated Press; By LYNN ELBER]

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