Former American Idol Host Brian Dunkleman Defends Driving for Uber

See what he had to say in response to reports about his occupation

By Jess Cohen Jan 04, 2019 9:32 PMTags
Brian Dunkleman, Kelly Clarkson, Ryan Seacrest, American IdolKevin Winter/ImageDirect/FOX

Brian Dunkleman is firing back after reports surfaced this week about his current occupation.

According to documents in Dunkleman's divorce from estranged wife Kalea Dunkleman, obtained by TMZ, the former American Idol host listed his occupation as "Uber driver." The former couple, who share a 5-year-old son named Jackson, have been in an ongoing divorce and custody battle. TMZ reports that Dunkleman, who co-hosted the first season of AI in 2002 alongside current host Ryan Seacrest, started driving for the company in March 2016.

After seeing the TMZ report about his personal life, Dunkleman took to Twitter to defend driving for Uber.

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"I chose to stop doing standup comedy and started driving an Uber so I could be there for my son as much as he needed after our life as we knew it was destroyed. Print that," Dunkleman tweeted. "And I make over a grand on a good week motherf--kers."

Dunkleman's girlfriend Andrea Whitney also took to social media to defend him, sharing a photo of her boyfriend with his son.

"This is why he's an Uber driver. F--k you @TMZ," she tweeted, adding the hashtag #ImInLoveWithAnUberDriver.

"Light or dark? Time to choose a side," Dunkleman tweeted Friday. "I feel a lot of light coming my way right now."