Who is Cecil Ray Baker? 'American Idol' contestant arrested after cheating and abusing ex-girlfriend Mariah Lopez
ROCKDALE, TEXAS: Police arrested Cecil Ray Baker who rose to fame on 'American Idol' on Friday April 17. He was one of the singing reality show's Top 24 contestants and was eliminated on April 11 in the Top 16 round. Mariah Lopez, Baker's former girlfriend and the mother of his six-month-old daughter posted a TikTok video alleging domestic violence and accusing him of cheating on her on the same day he was arrested.
According to the police, Baker was arrested for "burglary of a habitation". He was booked around 3:30 pm on April 17th and released within an hour on a $15,000 bond, according to Milam County Sheriff's Office, Texas.
RELATED ARTICLES
Baker's woes also included having grave allegations being leveled against him by his ex and the hate that he's been receiving ever since. In the video posted from her TikTok account — @atx.mer — with her 30.3K followers, Mariah shared screenshots of text messages in which Baker allegedly accepted he was cheating on her.
Mariah alleged that the young dad and poor man portrayal that helped Baker become America's darling was a farce. In the same video, there was also a zoomed-in photo of a woman's wounded forehead, presumed to be Mariah's, and implied that it was Baker's doing. "People aren’t who they always seem to be on TV. I'm tired of always being silenced. You even denied my daughter being yours #cheater #americanidol #fyp" Mariah wrote in the caption of the video.
@atx.mer People aren’t who they always seem to be on TV. Im tired of always being silenced. You even denied my daughter being yours ##cheater ##americanidol ##fyp
♬ rihannas audio - MHMMMM
Baker had received immense support throughout his 'Idol' journey as he spoke about being a family man and the father of a newborn daughter. He was deemed the "country Justin Bieber" by judge Katy Perry and Luke Bryan who called him the best country singer of the season at the time of his audition.
Baker made it through to the Top 24, however, his performance in the round was not the best and he also looked like he wasn't in the right headspace throughout the episode. Eventually, all of it affected his results and he was voted out of the show during last week's episode.
Cecil Ray Baker slammed for domestic abuse allegations
"That 15 mins really went to his head. Sorry girl been through your exact situation with my daughter's dad n now I'm with the most amazing man ever," wrote a fan. "I literally ALWAYS got a bad vibe from him on the show If you need any help, please reach out," wrote another.
"HE DIDN'T HAVE ME FOOLED! I knew something was off with dude & I'm still upset they chose him over drake (Drake McCain)" another comment read. Replying to one of the commenters, Mariah wrote, "You have no idea. He's also a complete narcissist and NEVER takes fault. He blames literally EVERYTHING on me. When I was nothing but good to him," she wrote. All comments can be accessed here.