As “American Idol” winner Jamal Roberts’ star continues to rise, from jam-packed shows to a chart-topping single, the soul singer from Meridian, Mississippi, took time on June 4, 2025, to clarify comments he made about his upbringing days earlier on “The Love You Moore Show.”

Roberts, 27, vulnerably shared with host Willie Moore Jr. that when he was two, his parents separated and his dad gained full custody of him and his older brother. Roberts bravely admitted that he felt “abandoned” by his mom, Kim, and that he struggled to understand why she didn’t fight to be with him, especially when she later had more children. But he told Moore Jr. that he was “fine” with not knowing why his mom was so absent years ago and confirmed she is back in his life today.

After the interview, Roberts was dismayed to see many social media comments and posts that he felt “twisted” his remarks. So, he hosted a nearly hour-long Facebook Live session on June 4, hoping to dissuade people from bad-mouthing his mom and questioning his relationship with her. He also shared how much good came out of him sharing his truth.

“Everybody got something to say,” he said with a smile. “I can’t entertain everybody. You wake up in the morning and you making long posts about something that don’t even concern you? That ought to just speak for itself. It ain’t got nothing to do with you.”

Jamal Roberts Says He Was Touched Hearing From So Many People Who Had Similar Childhoods

Roberts tagged his mom during his Facebook Live, which he hosted from his Nashville hotel room as he prepared for the 19 Recordings/BMG Takeover with fellow “American Idol” finalists. Over 3,500 people watched his monologue live, and thousands more have viewed it since.

The reason he shared the story of his upbringing, Roberts said, was to be transparent and to show how his faith has helped him through challenging times.

“I’m talking about when you have your own story, like when you know the pros, you know the cons, you know in your mind how you felt in that moment,” he said. “My story is not bashing anybody. My story is simply saying that you can come out of anything. God will walk with you. He’ll walk beside you. He’ll take you through.”

Roberts also told his Facebook Live viewers that sharing his story was eye-opening for him and others, explaining, “You know what I found out over all the hundreds of thousands of messages I received? I’m not the only one that’s been through that or that has a similar story to me.”

“I’m so happy I spoke,” he continued, “and I’m so happy to see all the other people that was afraid, all the other people that was in that situation … like, they starting to heal. They were like, ‘Okay, so it is okay.’ It’s okay! We all go through different battles. It’s okay! You’re not in it alone. My story is still being written.”

Roberts’ mom, who was frequently seen cheering for Roberts in the “American Idol” studio audience, shared her own Facebook post on the morning of June 4, writing, “GOOD MORNING … I’m not embarrassed about anything I went through what may be tea for some, it is a testimony for me if you’re gonna talk about what broke me invite me to the table so I can tell you what God did with the pieces. #Godisgood”

Jamal Roberts Says He Hopes His Story Helps Others ‘Heal’
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During his Facebook Live, Roberts praised his dad, stepmom, and grandparents for filling the “void” of having an absent parent. He also assured his fans that there are no hard feelings with his mom because his childhood shaped him in many positive ways.

“My mom is not a bad person,” he said. “We all go through different things, but God’s always putting somebody in your life that can just fill that void like he filled that void for me.”

“This is why people don’t tell their stories,” he continued. “This is why people don’t tell their stories right now, because you got people that will twist it and fold it and make it to whatever they want it to be … taking it out of its original context.”

Noting that “I’m healing from all that,” Roberts said that his experience with letting go of the past and forging a positive relationship with his mom is part of why Tom Odell’s song “Heal” resonated so deeply with him during “American Idol.” Roberts said he hopes his version, a single that immediately shot up the Billboard charts, inspires others to do whatever they need to do to heal emotionally, too.

“I’m healing, I have my parents in my life,” he said, later adding, “I love my mom, I love my dad, I love my family, you know, but at a time in my life, I did feel alone.”

Before signing off, Roberts sweetly told those watching, “I love y’all. I love y’all, for real. If you don’t hear it from nobody else, I love you.”