‘American Idol’ Star Antonella Barba Arrested on Domestic Violence Charge

Martin Holmes April 2, 2025, 9:59 am

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American Idol alum Antonella Barba is in trouble with the law once again after she was arrested for a domestic violence charge, which in turn violated her federal supervised release from a previous drug case.

As first reported by TMZ, Barba had a warrant out for her arrest for a recent domestic violence charge and was taken into custody during a vehicle stop by the St. Pleasant Beach Police Department in New Jersey on Sunday night (March 30).

She was released from the Essex County Correctional Facility on Tuesday (April 1) and will remain on home detention with electronic monitoring until her next court hearing on April 29.

Barba had previously served time in federal prison after she was found guilty in 2019 of possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. She got out of prison in October 2021 but is still on five years of supervised release.

The 38-year-old former reality star rose to fame on Season 6 of American Idol in 2007 when she was 19-years-old. Her performances, which included Deniece Williams’ “Free,” Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” and Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me,” received mixed reviews from both the show’s judges and viewers.

‘American Idol’ Alum Antonella Barba Arrested on Domestic Violence Charge | Click to read more 👇 https://t.co/KCZhYB4eW7

— TMZ (@TMZ) April 1, 2025

However, Barba made it through the auditions and onto the live shows before being eliminated in the Top 16. Jordin Sparks went on to win the season.

Barba was surrounded by controversy while on the show after semi-nude photos of her were leaked online. The producers allowed her to remain in the competition despite previously disqualifying Season 2 contestant Frenchie Davis under similar circumstances.

In the years after Idol, Barba released a handful of singles and was said to be working on her debut album in 2009. However, the album never came to fruition. Instead, more controversy found her. In December 2010, she was charged with two misdemeanors for shoplifting a pair of gloves from a Manhattan Urban Outfitters store and was required to complete a day of community service.

She would continue to make music, including performing as a singer with the Los Angeles rock band LA-eX. Barba also appeared in a 2012 episode of Fear Factor and on, May 21, 2018, featured on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as part of a “Where are They Now” segment with other past American Idol contestants.

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In 2019, Barba was sentenced to nearly four years behind bars for conspiring to distribute the opiate fentanyl. She was let out on supervised release in 2021 but soon found herself in trouble again when, in August 2022, a probation officer claimed she had moved out of her approved residence in Point Pleasant.

She was then made to wear an electronic ankle bracelet and had to adhere to a curfew. However, the issues continued, and in November 2024, Barba allegedly got into a domestic violence dispute with an ex-partner identified as “K.H.” in court documenters, per TMZ.

The outlet adds that the former couple had two other incidents in the last month, both of which ended up with police involvement. Barba has been ordered to cut all contact with K.H. and family as a result of her house arrest.