Clark's Parents Rush to His Defense

May 5, 2005 -- -- Corey Clark's parents appeared with the former "American Idol" contestant on "Good Morning America" today to face tough questions from their son's critics following last night's "Primetime Live" special.

In the "Primetime Live" special, Clark outlined his claims that "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul gave him secret, private coaching and inside tips during the competition and that their clandestine meetings eventually turned into a sexual relationship. On "Good Morning America," Clark said he felt good about "telling the truth," and his parents Jan and Duane Clark voiced their support for their son and applauded his actions.

"I'm still proud of him as I've always been," Jan Clark said. "He continues to tell the truth like he always has. Sometimes it gets him in trouble. But that's the way he was raised. To tell the truth."

When asked if there was any doubt in her mind whether her son had an affair with Abdul, Jan Clark insisted she had no doubt.

Duane Clark said the voicemails from Abdul, which were played during the "Primetime Live" special, provide "vindication" of his son's claims against those who suggest he is lying.

Meanwhile, Clark once again denied charges that he might have invented claims in order to promote a book and a single, both of which have now been released for sale on the Internet. The former contestant said revealing his relationship with Abdul is simply the key to "getting this 900-pound gorilla off my back."

Clark said he doesn't know if Abdul should be removed from the show, but said he has no plans to help Fox if the network investigates their relationship.

"They made it very hard for me to do what I'm doing, you know, which is my career," he said.

In a joint statement this morning, Fox and the producers of "American Idol" said: "We have concerns about the motives behind last night's purported news special, as much of it was filled with rumor, speculation and assertions from a disqualified contestant." The statement said Clark "admitted during the special to telling lies" -- apparently, a reference to his acknowledgement that he had in 2002 failed to tell the show that he had been arrested following a domestic argument with his sister. The failure to disclose the arrest resulted in Clark being disqualified from the show after making the final 12.

The statement from Fox and "American Idol" went on to say: "Regardless, we are absolutely committed to the fairness of this competition. We take any accusations of this nature very seriously, no matter their source, and we have already begun looking into them."

In a statement last week, a representative of Paula Abdul dismissed Clark as "a liar and an opportunist."