Idol Producer: David H.'s Stripper Past "Won't Make Any Difference"

• Mar 4, 2008 03:45 PM ET
• by The Idol Chatters

On the heels of the reveal that Ramiele Malubay has a "racy" pic or two out there, it has come to light that for three years, 24-year-old David Hernandez worked as a stripper at Dick's Cabaret in Glendale, Arizona, where he danced nude and gave lap dances to a mostly male clientele.

Might this jeopardize Hernandez's place in the top 16? In previous seasons, Idol execs have avoided establishing hard and fast rules about a contestant's past. (When it was discovered that Frenchie Davis posed topless for a website, she got the boot, but when racy pics of Antonella Barba showed up online, she was allowed to stay.)

On Tuesday afternoon, TVGuide.com spoke with Idol executive producer Ken Warwick about the situation:

TVGuide.com: Will the revelations about David's stripper past have any impact on whether he stays on the show?
Ken Warwick: No, it won't make any difference. The truth is, we're never judgmental about what people do to earn a living. They've got to put food in people's mouths. We've had strippers on the show before. Nikki McKibbon was one in [Season] 1. We're never judgmental about people who do things like that. If it were some sort of heavy porn, then maybe we'd have to take action. But certainly not on this.

TVGuide.com: Were you aware of his past before it was reported?
Warwick: No, I wasn't. [ Laughs] But the truth of the matter is, it wouldn't have made any difference. There are a lot of people I know who'd love to have the opportunity just to make a better living by taking their clothes off.

TVGuide.com: Do you feel for these kids who are suddenly thrust into the public eye and then have everything in their pasts dug up?
Warwick: Very often, I do, yeah. I mean, David Hernandez, whatever you say, is a nice guy. And he can sing. He's got a great voice. He deserves to be there, as far as I'm concerned.

TVGuide.com: Have you seen him since the news broke?
Warwick: I haven't actually seen him today but I'm not worried about it. The thing is, at the end, the public will make the decision anyway. If there's a stretch of the public that thinks, "Oh, dear, he was a male stripper, so I'm not going to vote for him," then that's the luck of the draw. If the public doesn't like him, then they'll get rid of him.

Indeed, the big question is: Does Hernandez's stripper past matter to you? Let's get to the naked truth in the comments section below. - Mickey O'Connor, with reporting by Shawna Malcom

How do you think David performed in the immediate wake of his stripping scandal?

Read our indepth recap and weigh in now.

Poll: Does this news affect your opinion of David? Vote here.

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