Now it can be told – the real reason David Archuletta’s dad was banned from American Idol.

Though it was widely reported that Jeff Archuletta was given the boot because he was a pushy, controlling S.O.B. who forced his son to change song lyrics, sources say producers had enough when he tried to cut a side deal with Ford Motors.

“Ford is a huge advertiser on Fox and they pay for the music ads the contestants make each week,” a source close to the show said .   

The insider exclusively told The ENQUIRER that Jeff Archuletta cornered a Ford rep and tried to coerce him into signing son David for an endorsement deal.

That’s when producers put their foot down – literally and kicked Jeff off set.

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