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American Idol season 23 episode 19, Grand Finale, will premiere on ABC on May 18, 2025. The finale will feature individual performances from the top 3 contestants— John Foster, Jamal Roberts, and Breanne Nix—competing for the coveted title of the show.
A usual American Idol viewer might think that the contestant showcasing the best singing skills among the three would get the most votes during the live episode and would win the competition. However, in an exclusive interview with the People magazine, published on May 13, judge Lionel Richie claimed that the winner would be decided on the basis of who the viewers are most attached to.
The show judge noted that he believes the results would be heavily affected by the popularity of the contestant and how many fans they have, not specifically on how talented an artist is.
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"It's an even playing field but it comes down to popularity. How many fans do they have that like them as people?" he said.
American Idol judges share their thoughts on the upcoming season finale
American Idol season 23 episode 18, which aired on May 12, featured the semi-final round of the season, where the Top 5 contestants competed for a spot in the finale. By the end of the Disney-themed episode, John Foster, Jamal Roberts, and Breanne Nix were announced as the final three finalists.
The show judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood joined for an interview with People magazine, where they shared their thoughts on the much-awaited season finale.
Reflecting on the Top 3, Bryan said he believes Jamal has been a frontrunner all season and has what it takes to win. He also praised Breanna for consistently proving herself with each performance and noted that John Foster appears to be gaining momentum at just the right time.
"Even if it's something that Jamal's kind of had the reins of, it could change with a little bit of not focus[ing] ... so they gotta be focused all the way to the end. The music business never is not like that. You've gotta focus every day," the American Idol judge judge added.
Meanwhile, judge Lionel Richie suggested in the interview that the winner may not be determined solely by talent, but rather by how popular a finalist is among viewers.
The American Idol judge explained that right now, singing covers is best for the contestants, as it allows them to connect with the audience. He believes the audience tends to vote based on which contestant’s personality they relate to or like the most.
Later in the conversation, another judge Carrie Underwood, who was once a contestant on season 4, said that she could relate to the finalists and encouraged them to remain focused throughout the final competition round.
She mentioned that the recent season is very "condensed" and a lot longer than when she won the show. Considering that, she believes the finalists of season 23 are just running to catch up the whole time.
"I would imagine they feel more frenzied than I felt about the whole situation. It's a totally different block out. You're going to be doing a lot, going back to their own towns and everyone's going to be on them. This is kind of a taste of what the rest of their career is gong to be like. We always call this star boot camp because you learn a lot really fast," she concluded.
Watch new episodes of American Idol season 23 every Sunday-Monday on ABC. Stream them on Hulu a day later.
