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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n‘American Idol’ judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan talk 2026 season<\/p>\n
Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan reveal the talks they’ve had about coming back for Season 24 as Lionel Richie reflects on Season 23’s star talent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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- Meridian, Mississippi native Jamal Roberts won “American Idol” with a record 26 million votes.<\/li>\n
- Celebrities including Jennifer Hudson, Anita Baker, Fantasia, and the “American Idol” judges congratulated Roberts on social media.<\/li>\n
- Mississippi politicians such as Gov. Tate Reeves, Sen. Roger Wicker, and Rep. Bennie Thompson also celebrated Roberts’ victory.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Meridian native Jamal Roberts<\/a> was crowned the next “American Idol”<\/a> Sunday night, May 18, after a historic vote.<\/p>\n
A record 26 million votes came in Sunday night<\/a>, the most in the show’s history. Roberts beat John Foster, 18, of Addis, Louisiana and Breanna Nix, 25, of Denton, Texas, who won second and third place respectively.<\/p>\n
After his win, Roberts posted on Facebook, saying he was still trying to process the night.<\/p>\n
“God is so good. From my first step on that stage to this unbelievable moment, I never dreamed a kid from my hometown would one day be called American Idol,” Roberts wrote on Facebook. “This journey has been bigger than me, and I’m so grateful for every person who believed in me when I was just dream chasing.”<\/p>\n
Sunday night and Monday morning, several celebrities and Mississippi politicians took to social media to offer their congratulations to Roberts.<\/p>\n
What did celebrities say?<\/h2>\n
An hour after the finale aired, singer, actress and talk show host Jennifer Hudson posted a video on X, formally Twitter, of Roberts winning with the caption, “He did it!!!!! Congratulations Jamal Roberts!!! SO well deserved! You are a star!”<\/p>\n
Singer Anita Baker commented on X, “CONGRATS! MUSIC is found it’s way Back home thru Jamal Roberts.”<\/p>\n
Singer Fantasia, who won “American Idol” Season 3 in 2004, posted herself watching Sunday night’s finale on her Instagram stories. She wrote on one post that she normally doesn’t vote in American Idol, but she was voting this time for Jamal, encouraging her followers to do that same. The latest video on Fantasia’s Instagram story shows the singer watching the TV in awe as Roberts was crowned the winner.<\/p>\n
The “American Idol” judges also posted their congratulations on X after the show.<\/p>\n
“I’m so proud of Jamal Roberts and all he has accomplished this season and I can’t wait to see what mountains he climbs next!,” Carrie Underwood wrote on X. “He’s going to do great things!”<\/p>\n
Luke Bryan wrote on Facebook, “What a way to close out the season! Congrats Jamal!” accompanied by a video of himself and Lionel Richie after Roberts was crowned the winner.<\/p>\n
Lionel Richie posted a picture of himself and Roberts on his Instagram with the caption, “There you have it! Congrats Jamal Roberts our next American Idol.”<\/p>\n
Mississippi political figures<\/h2>\n
During Sunday’s finale, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves posted and encouraged his constituents to vote for Roberts, saying the Meridian singer is “showing the world why Mississippi is known as the Birthplace of America’s Music.”<\/p>\n
After the show, Reeves wrote another X post saying, “MISSISSIPPI WINS AGAIN!! Congrats to Jamal Roberts.”<\/p>\n
Sen. Roger Wicker also posted on X, saying “Congratulations to this year’s American Idol winner, Mississippi native Jamal Roberts! Your talent and passion inspire us all. You’ve already made Mississippi proud, and we’re excited to see all you will accomplish!”<\/p>\n
The City of Meridian Facebook page posted several times Sunday night with ways to vote for Roberts, with one post saying “Someone will be eliminated the first hour of the show! We cannot wait! We have one job to do!!! Vote 30 times!!!”<\/p>\n
After Roberts won, the Meridian Facebook page posted “He did it!!!!!!!”<\/p>\n