Randy Madden appeared on season 8 of the reality singing competition show.

Former American Idol contestant arrested on accusation of sex with a minor

Randy Madden appeared on season 8 of the reality singing competition show.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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November 4, 2025 10:47 p.m. ET

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Former 'American Idol' contestant Randy Madden pictured in 2024. Credit:

Albert L. Ortega/Shutterstock

Former *American Idol* contestant Randy Madden, who competed in season 8, has been arrested and charged after being accused of having sex with a minor.

Madden, 45, was arrested in Ventura County, Calif., and charged with six felonies, according to court records viewed by **:* *oral copulation of a person under 18, unlawful sexual intercourse, anal and genital penetration by a foreign object, sending harmful matter, luring, and dissuading a witness from reporting a crime.

The date of the violation is listed as July 21.

Randy Madden auditioned for 'American Idol' season 8 in 2008.

M Becker/American Idol 2009/Getty

Madden pleaded not guilty to all the charges, and the next hearing in his case is set for Nov. 13.

Season 8 aired in 2009, with judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Cara DioGuardi and host Ryan Seacrest.**

Madden sang his version of Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" in the auditions, but he received all "no" votes, according to TMZ, which was the first to report the news.

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Madden brought an '80s rocker vibe to show, wearing a skull on his belt and a bandana on his head.

EW has reached out to Madden and to the show for comment.

Since *American Idol *debuted in 2002, it has seen thousands of contestants each year, most of them never even making it in to see the judges and even fewer past them.

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The show began on Fox, but ended in 2016, after 15 seasons. ABC revived it in 2018, not long after it had celebrated its farewell season.

"Look, from where we sit, we feel it's a great time to bring the series back," ABC entertainment president Channing Dungey told reporters on a May 2017 conference call, EW reported at the time. "What I love about it, personally, [is that *Idol* is] about uplifting stories about people who make their dreams come true — and that's our sweet spot at ABC. All of our franchises deal in that. For me, that makes it feel like the perfect home at the perfect time."

Season 23 wrapped up in May. ABC has announced that Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood will judge the upcoming season 24.**

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Source: “EW TV”