March 5, 2008 | Celeb Watch

"American Idol" stripper past no prob

David Hernandez will remain on "American Idol," despite having his male stripper past exposed.

The 24-year-old was outed as an exotic dancer by Gordy Bryan, manager of Dick's Cabaret in Phoenix. "He had the look and the type that people like, so he made pretty good money here," Bryan said. "He never renewed his licensing with the state, so he hasn't been on my roster since (September 30, 2007)."

"American Idol" executive producer Ken Warwick said Hernandez' past didn't matter. "No, it won't make any difference," Warwick told TVGuide.com. "The truth is, we're never judgmental about what people do to earn a living. They've got to put food in people's mouths. We've had strippers on the show before."

As the competition gets tougher, he may want to pull out some of his sexier moves.