Reality TV
‘American Idol’ Alum Antonella Barba Admits to Smoking Weed While on Supervised Release, Violates Terms
Former American Idol contestant Antonella Barba is back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, though this time she’s getting off easy.
The 38-year-old admitted to violating the terms of her supervised release after a routine drug test came back questionable, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.
Barba reportedly showed up to the probation office in Camden, New Jersey, on Monday, May 5, for a scheduled check-in and urine screening.
Officers said she appeared to be stalling before the test and eventually admitted she had recently smoked marijuana, which technically broke a condition of her release barring her from using controlled substances.
The reality TV star, who first rose to fame on season 6 of American Idol, has been on supervised release tied to her federal drug trafficking conviction.
She was arrested in 2018 and convicted in 2019 of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, as per the official documents. After spending nearly three years behind bars, she walked free in October 2021 but has remained under federal supervision ever since.
Rather than push for punishment, probation officers recommended a different path.
Officers said her current mental health treatment plan, which includes counseling and coping tools, would be enough to help her through what they called situational stress.
In their report, officers said her marijuana use did not reflect a “disregard for the conditions” of her release, calling it “situational in nature.”
A federal judge signed off on the recommendation, and Antonella will continue to be monitored.
This isn’t her first slip-up since her prison release. In 2025, she was arrested for alleged domestic violence, which also marked a violation of her supervised release, according to USA Today.
Following the arrest, Antonella was released under the condition of home detention. She was also barred from contacting K.H., her ex-partner, whom court documents describe as the source of “a tumultuous relationship”, as per the outlet.
