14 DAY TRIAL // The episode before last of American Idol caused a minor stir when judge Steven Tyler made a comment that was considered offensive by some viewers. The latest started with a formal apology from producers.
As the video below shows, the episode opened with a black screen with the message from the producers, in which apologies are extended for Tyler’s outrageous behavior.
Reading it, one would be justified to think that the judge did who knows what and upset millions, especially since Ryan Seacrest had tried earlier to get speculation going on whether he (Steven) would return for the live shows.
“American Idol would like to apologize for last week’s outrageous behavior by Steven Tyler. Mr. Tyler has been warned and assures us it will never happen again,” reads the message.
The video shows then what it was exactly that Tyler did, just in case anyone missed it: during auditions in Austin, Texas, a boy named Jake Muck came in to sing for the judges and, hopefully, get his golden card.
Jennifer Lopez smiled when hearing the name, but Steven couldn’t resist making the obvious joke that comes to mind.
“You know what Muck rhymes with, don’t you?” he asked. “Duck,” replied the contestant, to which Steven told him “Read my lips” and presumably mouthed the obscenity to him.
Since very few actually paid attention to this bit, many are wondering whether a formal apology was actually necessary.
The Hollywood Reporter, for instance, says it was their way of mocking those who try their best to find flaws with the show and reason to feel offended.
“Some have said the apology was tongue-in-cheek against viewers who complained about the scene from last week’s show,” THR writes.
“This isn’t the first time Tyler has come under fire for his behavior on the show. Viewers called him out after the first episode for hitting on teenage contestants,” the e-zine notes.
Below is the video of the apology from American Idol producers.