Porn Past Sinks "American Idol" Finalist

Evan Marriott's brief career as an underwear model wasn't a problem. And "Joe Millionaire" contestant Sarah Kozer's starring role in dozens of bondage and fetish films also was of no concern to Fox Television. But the network has bounced an "American Idol" contestant because the woman once posed nude for an Internet porn site.

Franchelle "Frenchie" Davis, the 23-year-old singer canned by Fox, was a fan favorite and had been tabbed last week by Entertainment Weekly as one of the program's leading six contenders.

According to a TSG source, Davis posed topless (and appeared to be masturbating) on "Daddy's Little Girls," a web site where "the girls have all grown up...and the boys have come to play." However, at the time she posed for these photos, Davis--who used the alias Honey Brown--was over 18.

The Los Angeles native has claimed that she took the topless gig to earn money so that she could re-enroll in Howard University, where she is a theater major. In a recent interview, when asked about the proudest moment of her life, Davis said, "Other than getting back in school after not having the money and not being there for a year," American Idol "has been the proudest moment 'cause I worked so hard."

All traces of Davis's involvement in "American Idol" have been stripped from Fox's web site, a banishment nearly as abrupt as the ones delivered by judge Simon Cowell. The network's decision to can Davis has been blasted by followers of the show who have been flooding fan sites with complaints. A typical beef--posted in an online petition calling for Davis's reinstatement--stated, "American Idol will no longer hold my interest if Frenchie Davis is gone. She was the voice and talent. Every other contestant is extremely(!) bland, boring and not the least bit intriguing. Give America what they want and bring Frenchie Davis back!"

With her brassy voice and large frame, Davis has drawn comparisons to Aretha Franklin. In describing Davis and fellow contestant Kimberley Locke, Entertainment Weekly wrote, "From the second these two bodacious beauties strutted their stuff on stage, all those navel-baring lightweights should have headed home." A Fox spokesperson told USA Today, which first reported Davis's departure, that the singer will be replaced on the February 25 "American Idol" telecast.