Jamal Roberts and John Foster were the final two on Season 23 of American Idol, with the winner announced during the live Sunday, May 18, finale. Ryan Seacrest was standing next to the final two contestant on stage as he announced the results of the nationwide vote.
John was directly next to Seacrest, while Jamal was on the other side of John. As always, the longtime host took a dramatic pause before saying the name of the winner, but he opened the envelope shortly before making the announcement. John seemingly had a disappointed look on his face before the winner was revealed, leading fans to speculate that he saw what was written in the envelope first (Jamal was named the winner of the season, with John finishing as runner-up).
TV Insider caught up with John after the finale and he said he “barely” noticed what was written in the envelope. “I was in a total blur,” he shared. “I knew I was at peace with being runner-up. Jamal is such an incredible performer. I was at peace. I really was. It’s a true honor to be runner-up.”
Still, social media blew up with fan comments about the reveal. “John foster fully just saw the American idol results 4 seconds before seacrest announced it. He very clearly looked at the card,” one viewer wrote on X. Someone else said, “It looked like John Foster seen the envelope!” and another agreed, adding, “#AmericanIdol John Foster saw the results in Ryan’s hands. @RyanSeacrest. Yikes.”
Another commenter offered some advice to Seacrest for the future, writing, “Ryan needs to be facing the contestants rather than next to them when announcing results. john foster saw jamal’s name before it was announced.”
The three-hour finale featured Jamal and John’s final performances of the season. Breanna Nix was also one of the Top 3 finalists, but she was eliminated after the first round of the competition due to having the least amount of votes at that point in the night. It was a monumental night, with the amount of votes doubled from last year’s finale.
Plus, there were iconic performances from various artists, including all three Idol judges.
John received a ton of support online, with fans raving that he’ll still have a big career, despite coming in second place on the show. “Congratulations to John Foster! We think you’re a great American and we love your music. I’m sure his career is about to take off,” someone said, while another added, “So proud of John Foster even though he didnt win Definitely made Addis, Louisiana and all of West Baton Rouge proud!”
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