Jermaine Jones Kicked Off 'American Idol' for Arrests

Well, this is awkward.

Just a couple of weeks into the live shows of "American Idol," a contestant has been booted off the show. It's not because he didn't get enough call-in votes, either; this elimination is essentially a firing of a contestant by the show's producers.

The contestant in question is Jermaine Jones, the deep-voiced, extremely tall singer who imposing appearance but friendly demeanor earned him the nickname "The Gentle Giant" from host Ryan Seacrest. According to TMZ, Jones has multiple arrests on his criminal record, one of them violent, which he hid from producers. In fact, in both cases he reportedly gave a fake name to police. Jones is also reported to have outstanding warrants.

This news may come as a shock to "Idol" viewers, as Jones has always been very soft-spoken and could often be seen hugging his mother or crying on camera.

What is especially ironic in this is that Jones originally didn't make the cut for the live shows, and was revealed with much fanfare as a surprise addition to the contestant pool, making the Top 24 a Top 25. Jones made it past the first round, but did end up in the bottom three.

If you're worried that Jermaine will disappear from the show without a goodbye, worry not: Jones did an interview with "Idol" about his criminal record, the footage of which will air on tomorrow night's show. Considering the show's ailing ratings, that's not much of a surprise.

Check out the video below to watch Jones' most recent performance: