"Had me BAWLING"— American Idol fans react to John Foster singing I Told You So and making it the Top 10

American Idol's John Foster took to the stage this week on Monday with a rendition of I Told You So, a song that Carrie Underwood had sung during her time on the show. Towards the end of his performance, the contestant walked up to the judges' panel and sang directly to the judge and tipped his hat to her, seemingly paying homage to her.

At the end of the episode, it was revealed that John Foster was one of the contestants who advanced to the Top 10 and fans were elated. They took to the social media platform, X, to celebrate John Foster's performance and his making it to the next stage of the competition. One person wrote:

"I know I have been emotional lately but watching John Foster sing “I told you so” to Carrie underwood had me BAWLINGGGGGG! Ten. TEN."

"John Foster walked out, gave 90s country fans a full-blown revival, and left like it was nothing. I Told You So wasn’t karaoke—it was a statement. If you grew up on real country, you felt this one deep. Too old-school or just right?" a fan commented.

"John Foster is captivating the hearts of America. Foster has STARDOM all over him! Gonna be a mega Country Star Second coming of George Strait! Can't wait for him to sing next Sunday!" a tweet read.

Fans of American Idol season 23 called John Foster's performance "awesome":

"John Foster, that hat tip at the end to @carrieunderwood was a truly playa move and we are here for it! Awesome performance!" a person wrote.

"Aww. John Foster singing to and for Carrie. My heart," a fan commented.

"He makes my heart so happy! I miss ‘80s and ‘90s country music! We need his voice in country music!" a tweet read.

Fans of American Idol season 23 further said:

"Referring to I Told You So as a Randy and Carrie song is silly. Randy Travis had a whole hit with that damn song. Come on now! But John is crushing it! This kid, like Fantasia said, is like Water!" a person wrote.

"First Dwight Yoakam, now it's Ken Doll. LOL....Dude's way better good looking than those slobs. Top 14 and already a heartthrob, but he's such a solid performer," a fan commented.

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John Foster pays tribute to American Idol season 23 judge Carrie Underwood with I Told You So in episode 14

On April 28, 2025, during Monday's episode of American Idol season 23, before John Foster took to the stage, Ryan Seacrest announced that the singer was set to pay tribute to judge Carrie Underwood with a song she sang when she was a contestant on the show.

John met with guest mentor and season 3 winner, Fantasia Barrino, who said he looked like a "little Ken Doll." She asked him what he was going to sing and, he said he was going to sing I Told You So by Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis.

He said the American Idol judge was kind of his "voice on the panel" and recalled her asking John to sing another song during his audition. John said that had she not done that, Luke Bryan would have said "No."

"This is my way of saying, "I love you, Carrie. Thank you for all the support," John said in a confessional.

As John took to the stage, he started his performance while sitting down, and towards the end, walked up to Carrie and sang to her and tipped his hat to her. The American Idol season 23 judge praised the performance and said that she was "blushing." She added that the participant pushed himself in every challenge and tried different things.

Fans of the singing reality show commented on John Foster's performance online and praised his rendition of I Told You So. They also congratulated the singer for advancing to the next round of the competition.

Fans can watch John's performance online by streaming the episode on Hulu.