‘Reacher’ Fans Go Wild as Alan Ritchson’s ‘Idol’ Audition Resurfaces After Brawl

Before becoming action star Jack Reacher andgetting into scraps with his neighbor,Alan Ritchsonwas one of manyAmerican Idolauditionees looking for his break into the industry. Now a tape of him is doing the rounds online again after Ritchson recently hit the news for all the wrong reasons.

Last week, an X user reshared a clip from Ritchson's somewhat awkward audition onIdol's third season, which TV Insider wrote about inFebruary 2025. In the video, a 20-year-old Ritchson appeared before judgesSimon Cowell,Randy Jackson, andPaula Abdul, wearing a tight-fitting t-shirt that showed off his muscles.

"Can I just say, before you start, thank you for putting a little smile on Paula's face," Cowell joked as a bashful Abdul laughed.

"There was this one guy in Atlanta, his name was Alan Ritchson, and he's totally hot," Abdul said in a confessional.

Cowell and Jackson then left the audition room and let Ritchson serenade Abdul up close and personal with a performance of Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life." While not having the greatest vocals ever, all three judges voted "yes", sending him to the next round.

Ritchson made it through to Hollywood Week, where he performed an original song and took part in a group performance with two fellow contestants. He didn't make the judge's final 32.

Fans flooded social media with reactions to the resurfaced clip, with one X user writing, "Alan Ritchson onAmerican Idolcharming Paula Abdul?? That's legendary."

"Alan Ritchson has always been hot before be beefed up," said another.

"Wait alan ritchson on idol? that's wild," another added.

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One user wrote, "This is just another proof the aspiring actors are the same ones showing up in every single TV show."

"Don't think ive ever seen Reacher smile, nevermind sing," quipped another.

"Charms Paula Abdul AND becomes an action hero? That's a win-win career arc," one fan added.

"Paula Abdul has taste, she recognized the future action star energy," another user commented.

"From Idol crooner to Reacher crusher, what a glow-up," said another.

While Ritchson didn't succeed onIdol, he went on to build an impressive career in film and television. A year after his 2004Idolaudition, he landed a role as Arthur Curry/Aquaman onSmallvillebefore taking his first main cast role inBlue Mountain Statein 2010. Since 2022, he's starred in the titular role of Prime Video's action-dramaReacher.

Ritchson has been in the news recently after getting into an a brawl with a neighbor in Tennessee. Initially,TMZ released footagethat seemingly showed Ritchson hitting a man and knocking him to the ground after an argument ensued about the actor riding his motorbike through the neighborhood.

The neighbor, Ronnie Taylor, told TMZ that the Titans star punched him in the face and kicked him to the ground while repeatedly hitting his head. Ritchson then reportedly fell off his bike, got back up, and tried to run Taylor off.

However, Ritchson later revealed that he was wearing a bodycam andreleased the footage to TMZ. In Ritchson's video, Taylor jumps in front of the motorbike, causing the actor to fall to the ground. After an argument, Ritchson tries to drive away, but Taylor keeps standing in front of the bike and pushes Ritchson to the floor. Ritchson then hits Taylor, knocking him to the ground and telling him to "stay down."

Read the latest entertainment news onTV Insider.

byMario Satorik

in

March 31, 2026

‘Reacher’ Fans Go Wild as Alan Ritchson’s ‘Idol’ Audition Resurfaces After Brawl

Before becoming action star Jack Reacher andgetting into scraps with his neighbor,Alan Ritchsonwas one of manyAmerican I...

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Joseph Duggar Pleads Not Guilty to Child Molestation Charges and Demands Jury Trial as Judge Sets Bond at $600,000

Joseph Duggar appeared before a judge on March 31 in Bay County, Fla., to answer two charges of lewd and lascivious behavior

NEED TO KNOW

• He entered a not guilty plea to all charges, waived arraignment and demanded a jury trial in as written request two days prior to his hearing. His bond was set at $600,000

• Joseph is accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl on multiple occasions during a family vacation to Panama City Beach in 2020

Joseph Duggar made his first appearance before a Florida judge on Tuesday morning.

The reality star, 31, appeared remotely from the Bay County Jail for the proceedings just a few hours after being booked into custody at the facility following hisextradition from Arkansas.

His bond was set at $600,000 by the judge during his brief appearance, and he is due back in court on April 20.

He isaccused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girlmultiple times during a family vacation to Panama City Beach in 2020 and is charged with lewd and lascivious behavior molesting a victim under 12 and lewd and lascivious behavior conducted by a person over 18.

Two days before his court appearance, Joseph submitted a written plea of not guilty to all charges, waived arraignment on those charges and demanded a jury trial, in a document signed by his attorney.

His court appearance comes exactly two weeks after he first confessed to the father of his accuser, according to an affidavit for an arrest warrant obtained by PEOPLE.

The following day, Joseph's accuser, who is now 14, spoke with a detective from the Tontitown Police Department

Related:Joseph Duggar's Latest Mugshot Released Ahead of First Court Appearance on Child Molestation Charges

Related:Kendra Duggar Tells Husband Joseph She Hired a Lawyer for Child Welfare Case On Jail Call: 'It's Not For You, It's Only For Me'

Bay County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigator Chase Norris summarized that interview in the affidavit, writing that Joseph "asked the victim to sit on his lap, numerous times" and "would cradle the victim with his arms."

Joseph then began to "ask the victim to sit on the couch" beside him, according to the affidavit.

Once sitting, Joseph "covered the parties with a blanket" the affidavit says, before proceeding to "pull the victim's dress up and touch the victim's thighs."

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In her interview the girl said Joseph "would touch the top portions of her thighs and would inch higher and higher, closer to the victim's waistline."

The girl said this happened on several occasions, and that "the defendant's hand grazed the victim's vagina" each time, "which made her feel uncomfortable and confused," according to the affidavit.

Joseph "eventually approached the victim and apologized for his actions" according to the affidavit, and "the incidents stopped occurring after the defendant apologized for his actions."

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE's free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Joseph wasarrested just hours after that interviewon March 18 by officers with the TPD at his home in Arkansas.

He was then held at the Washington County Detention Facility until March 27, when he was extradited to Florida.

He is now the second Duggar son to face criminal charges involving alleged underage victims.

In 2021, Joseph's oldest brotherJosh, 38, was convicted by a federal juryof receiving and possessing material depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct .

Josh, who as a teenager also molested five young women including four of his  sisters, is now serving a 12-year sentence in a Texas prison.

Aspokesperson for the Duggar family previously told PEOPLE: "Jim Bob and Michelle are heartbroken over this entire situation. Right now, they are focused on loving their family and helping Kendra and her children during this difficult time. They are praying for the victim. They ask for privacy and appreciate the kind words and prayers offered by so many."

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

Read the original article onPeople

byMario Satorik

in

March 31, 2026

Joseph Duggar Pleads Not Guilty to Child Molestation Charges and Demands Jury Trial as Judge Sets Bond at $600,000

Joseph Duggar appeared before a judge on March 31 in Bay County, Fla., to answer two charges of lewd and lascivious beha...

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John Mulaney told his Elvis Presley superfan son that the singer was dead mid-Graceland tour

Graceland turned into the Heartbreak Hotel afterJohn Mulaneyhad to break some bad news to hisElvis Presleysuperfan son, Malcolm.

TheJohn Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunchstar revealed that he had to inform his 4-year-old son, whom he shares with wifeOlivia Munn, that the King of Rock and Roll was dead while they were on a recent tour of Graceland.

"Malcolm, my son, is 4, but he's a huge Elvis fan," Mulaney explained on Monday's episode ofThe Late Show With Stephen Colbert. "And I said to him, 'Do you want to get a tour of Elvis' house?' And he was like, 'Elvis' house? Awesome.'"

The father-son duo embarked on a private tour of Presley's estate that evening.

"We're walking through, [the guide] goes, 'We're gonna show you some special spots because you're performing here at Graceland,'" Mulaney remembered. "My son goes, 'I want to go on the roof.'"

While they weren't able to visit the roof, the pair were able to visit the singer's famous jungle room. "We're looking around and Malcolm goes, 'Dad, can I meet Elvis now?'" Mulaney recalled. "It had never come up while listening to 'Hound Dog.' You don't go, 'Son, you know this guy's dead, right?'"

He added, "Then I realized all his grandparents are alive and he's never had a goldfish. And he doesn't know… and he's about to find out in the jungle room at Graceland that everybody dies."

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So Mulaney had to explain to his son why he couldn't meet his idol. "I said, 'Elvis is in heaven now.' And he said, 'Why?'" he recalled. "And I said, 'Uh, well, sometimes when people are in their early 40s, and they have a job and schedule a lot like Daddy, and some of the same issues as Daddy, they go to the bathroom and they go to heaven.'"

When a laughing Stephen Colbert acknowledged that there were worse ways to die, Mulaney responded, "Dude, what better life?"

Mulaney previously revealed that Malcolm is such a big fan of the King that his third birthday party was Elvis-themed. "He's a really big Elvis fan," Mulaney explained while visitingThe Tonight Showin 2024. "I think it started withLilo & Stitch, because they listen to Elvis in that movie."

But watching Presley's 1968 comeback special was what really sealed the deal. "My son, 2 years old, was riveted," he said. "More than anyInside Out, Moana,anything. Staring at Elvis in a leather suit in the late '60s."

Watch Mulaney recall informing his son of Presley's death in the clip above.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byMario Satorik

in

March 31, 2026

John Mulaney told his Elvis Presley superfan son that the singer was dead mid-Graceland tour

Graceland turned into the Heartbreak Hotel afterJohn Mulaneyhad to break some bad news to hisElvis Presleysuperfan son, ...

Read More