‘American Idol’ Alum Antonella Barba Thriving Since Prison Release: Employed and Passing Drug Tests

American Idol alum Antonella Barba has been a model citizen in recent months following her release from prison after being sentenced to 45 months on drugs distribution charges, In Touch has learned.

According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Antonella, 37, was released from a federal prison on October 26, 2021.

In June, Antonella requested permission to travel to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, from June 7 to June 10. Her lawyer said she would be traveling with a friend for a wedding. Antonella’s probation officer noted that the singer has been a star client. He recommended the request for travel be approved.

He said that Antonella “reports as instructed, submits monthly supervision reports and urinalysis submitted yielded negative results.”

He noted, “Antonella Barba has maintained stable residence and is employed at” two different companies in New Jersey.

“Ms. Barba paid her special assessment in full and has no restitution or fine. As such, she is in full compliance with the conditions of supervised release,” the filing read.

In 2022, months after her release, documents reveal Antonella had small issues with her probation officer.

The court ordered her to submit to a location monitoring program for 60 days and have a curfew imposed.

The filing noted that following a home visit with Antonella on August 2, 2022, at her approved residence in New Jersey, the probation officer learned that Antonella had moved out of the home on July 4, 2022.

“Barba failed to notify the U.S. Probation Office of her new address and/or to explain the circumstances leading up to her move,” the report said.

The P.O. said he met with Antonella who told him she had a fight with her parents and moved in with a man.

She said she expressed remorse for her “poor decision making” and not notifying her probation office.

At the time, Antonella agreed to wear the monitoring device. No other issues were noted in her case.

Antonella was sentenced to time behind bars for possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

The singer was arrested in October 2018 after law enforcement discovered a box full of fentanyl in Antonella’s rental car.

“The substance seized from Barba’s rental car was submitted to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Savannah Laboratory for forensic analysis, where a forensic scientist determined the substance to be fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, with a total weight of 830.9 grams,” prosecutors said.

Antonella faced a maximum sentence of life in prison. Her attorneys argued for a sentence between 37 and 46 months. Her probation will end in 2026.

Her lawyer argued, “One of the common themes is that the American Idol experience brought about a detrimental change in Ms. Barba’s life.”

Her mother said Antonella being kicked off American Idol was “devastating to her” which led to her spiraling out of control. Antonella was a contestant on the 6th season of American Idol in 2007. She was kicked off the competition show before the top 12 were selected. Jordin Sparks ended up winning the season.

In 2022, Antonella wrote on Instagram, “Real Talk: I’ve been scared to put myself out there. To be honest, approaching social media again, after not having access to it for 3 years, brings up a lot of anxiety. A few years ago, I made some really bad choices. Choices that I regret. But I’ve learned that the only thing I can control is the choices that I make moving forward. Being on the inside taught me that life is short. One thing I know for sure is I’m deeply grateful to continue to be able to follow my dreams.”