A video of Alan Ritchson serenading Paula Abdul during her “American Idol” audition has resurfaced after his argument with his Tennessee neighbor went viral.
The “Reacher” star appeared on the hit singing competition during Season 3 in 2004, performing Stevie Wonder’s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” for the “Straight Up” singer.
“Sorry, Alan, before we start, can I just say one thing? Thank you for putting a little smile on Paula’s face,” Simon Cowell begins in the resurfaced clip. “God bless you for that.”
“I’m single,” joked Ritchson, then 20.
The clip then cuts to an interview with Abdul, now 63, from behind the scenes on ABC’s long-running show.
“There was a guy in Atlanta. His name was Alan Ritchson. He was really hot,” the judge said at the time. “Randy (Jackson) and Simon left the table and decided to have Alan sing the entire audition.”
She continued, “Listen, I’m a professional, and that didn’t really sway my decision.”
After returning to Ritchson’s performance, the “War Machine” star can be seen kneeling in front of Abdul and belting out the first verse of the wonder hit.
Representatives for Ritchson did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
The 43-year-old Blue Mountain State University graduate spoke about his “American Idol” audition during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” In December 2023.
Although he was ultimately cut in the Hollywood group round before making it to the final 32, Ritchson looks back fondly on his time on the show with Abdul and others – even though his scenes were edited to make him look worse than he actually was.
“Oh my god, I was helping people!” Ritchson joked after Kimmel showed footage of the actor fooling around in a pool while other “American Idol” contestants struggled to write songs.
The Amazon Prime Video star went viral on March 22 when he was caught on video wrestling his neighbor Ronnie Taylor in broad daylight.
Footage obtained by TMZ showed Taylor kneeling on the ground and Ritchson appearing to punch Taylor “at least four times.”
Taylor later spoke out about the horrifying incident, claiming Ritchson “kicked the crap out” of him after a motorcycle fight in their Brentwood neighborhood.
“Then things escalated quickly from there,” said the “Titans” star’s neighbor. “He came towards me on his bicycle, so I pushed him.”
Ritchson did not mention the altercation in an interview with the Daily Mail on March 23, but appeared to allude to it in an Instagram post and a subsequent video shared to the platform.
The Brentwood Police Department ultimately announced that no criminal charges would be filed in connection with the scuffle between Ritchson and Taylor.
Authorities determined that Ritchson acted in self-defense, and the investigation into the matter has been closed.
“After reviewing the available evidence, including video footage and witness statements, authorities have determined that no criminal charges will be filed,” Brentwood Police Lt. Steven Pepin said in a statement. “Mr. Ritchson’s actions were found to be in self-defense.”
Pepin also shared that Ritchson declined to press charges against his neighbor, even though the possibility of reckless endangerment charges was reportedly “being considered.”
