Corey: 'Idol' Has Been Hounding Me

By: Jaime Holguin

Corey Clark says he's going public now with his story of his affair with singer and "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul because personnel from the show have been putting obstacles in his career path for two years, and he feels it's time to clear the air.

Clark claimed on the ABC News broadcast "Primetime Live" Wednesday that he had a three-month sexual relationship with Abdul, and she showered him with gifts. He said she also coached him on his performances, song selections and wardrobe while he was an "Idol" contestant during the 2003 TV season.

Through a spokesperson, Abdul calls Clark a liar, but doesn't specifically deny his allegation that she seduced him.

On The Early Show Friday, Clark told co-anchor Rene Syler he's coming forward at this point because he "tried to, you know, move on with my life and career for the last two years, you know. And I've just been running up against a lot of different roadblocks placed in the way, you know, through "American Idol" and through, you know, the people that were and are associated with them in my career."

Clark says he lost a record deal "because of the rumors and lies and, you know, things that they have been spreading about me for the past two years. And, you know, they just won't -- they haven't left me alone."

He asserts he's the victim of a double standard by "Idol" producers who booted him off the show when it came to light that he hadn't revealed to them that he'd been arrested. But, Clark says, that didn't happen to other contestants who had criminal records.

"The contestants that got, you know, found out that they have different convictions on their records, that actually were criminals, and they're comparing them to me saying, 'It's all right for them to do what they did, because they let us know up front.' "

But Clark told Syler he didn't disclose his arrest at the time because it "wasn't important. It didn't happen. I was wrongfully arrested and beaten by the Topeka Police Department, and that was a situation where I didn't feel the need to be exploited by 'American Idol.' "

He denied he's trying to get back at "Idol" producers, by waiting two years to make his allegations: "It shows that for two years, I've been trying to move on with my life and do my own thing, and…they made it too hard for me to do that on my own. So I've had to clear out all the things that they've said about me, and clear up a couple of things.