Corey Clark Fuming over Idol Spoof

By Stephen M. Silverman

Friday May 27, 2005 08:20 AM EDT

Paula Abdul and Corey Clark

Ray Mickshaw/WireImage; J. Viles/FOX/AP

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Former American Idol contestant Corey Clark, who claims to have had an affair with judge Paula Abdul during the 2003 competition, wasn't amused by the skit lampooning the situation on Wednesday's fourth-season finale of the FOX talent hunt.

During the two-hour show, TV newsman Steve Edwards presented a satirical report titled "Bad Judgment" that purported to reveal, using intercepted phone messages, judge Simon Cowell's "secret relationship" – which Cowell turned out to be having with himself.

In an ABC report last month, Clark, 23, revealed his claims about Abdul, mostly based on phone messages.

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As Clark's spokesman, Jed Wallace, tells the Associated Press about the Wednesday skit on Idol (which attracted nearly 30 million viewers for the finale): "We're reminded once again last night in front of millions of viewers that not only are they not taking it seriously, but they don't feel as though we should take it seriously. ... It's simply baffling to me that FOX would actually resurrect this controversy by doing something like that."

Wallace went on to call the Edwards-Cowell skit a "slap in the face."

Clark responded similarly after Abdul made a comedic appearance on Saturday Night Live earlier this month. Afterward, he announced that he had "explicit" and "incriminating" evidence of their alleged affair, though they have yet to surface. Clark claimed an alleged relationship with Abdul at the same time he was pushing a book and new CD.

For her part, Abdul, 42, has called the allegations "lies." FOX has said it would investigate the claims, but that Clark had not responded to requests for help in the investigation.