Jamal Roberts Named ‘American Idol’ Season 23 Winner in Jam-Packed Finale
Photo by: Disney/Christopher Willard Reading Time: 3 minutes
American Idol Season 23 returned on Sunday night for the grand finale, as the three finalists took the stage for their last chance to earn America’s vote and be named the winner. At the end of the night, the honor went to 27-year-old Jamal Roberts.
Jamal Roberts Named American Idol Season 23 Winner
There were only three singers left in the competition for Sunday night’s finale episode — Jamal Roberts, John Foster, and Breanna Nix. Voting was open during the show, and the competition was narrowed down to the Top 2 part of the way through the episode.
After performing “In Jesus Name (God of Possible)” by Katy Nichole and “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus, Breanna Nix was unfortunately eliminated from the competition. That left Jamal Roberts and John Foster in the Top 2. If you’ve been paying attention to this season’s YouTube views, those results should come as no surprise.
John and Jamal went on to perform their official singles. John chose to sing an original song called “Tell That Angel I Love Her,” while Jamal chose to cover “Heal” by Tom Odell. Not long after their performances, it was time to find out who won the season.
Host Ryan Seacrest shared that over 26 million votes were cast, which was more than double last year’s finale. Jamal got emotional after Seacrest announced him as the winner. He’s the first Black male singer to win the competition since Season 2’s Ruben Studdard.
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What Else Did the Finalists Perform?
In addition to their official singles, Jamal Roberts and John Foster each sang two other songs during Sunday’s American Idol finale. First, they took the stage to perform songs chosen by this season’s artist in residence, Jelly Roll.
He chose for 18-year-old John to perform “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” by Toby Keith. For Jamal’s performance, Jelly Roll chose “First Time” by Teeks, which the 27-year-old had previously performed on TikTok.
Next up, the American Idol finalists performed songs that reminded them of home, to go along with their traditional hometown visits. John chose to sing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver, while Jamal chose to sing “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” by the Temptations.
The finalists also got to perform duets with a few big names. Breanna Nix sang “Daddy’s DNA” with Brandon Lake, while John teamed up with judge Luke Bryan to perform “Deeper Than the Holler” by Randy Travis. Jamal joined forces with Jelly Roll to sing his tracks “Unpretty” and “Liar.”
The Episoed Was Full of Guest Performances
Sunday’s American Idol finale also featured a number of performances from big names and past contestants. That includes Salt-N-Pepa, who teamed up with the female singers from the Top 14 to perform “Shoop” and “Whatta Man.”
Good Charlotte was also on hand to perform “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” with the male singers in the Top 14. Meanwhile, the Top 3 finalists also took the stage together to perform “We Are the Champions” by Queen.
The show’s judges also performed during the finale. The three of them (Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan) teamed up for a group performance of Richie’s song “Stuck on You.” Bryan also delivered a solo performance of his song “Country Song Came On,” while Carrie Underwood teamed up with Cody Johnson to sing their duet “I’m Gonna Love You,” also featuring contestant Slater Nalley.
What did you think of the American Idol Season 23 finale? Do you agree with the results? Let us know in the comments below.
