‘American Idol’ fans have one major fix for the show — and honestly, they've a point: ‘Stop rushing...’
'American Idol' season 23 crowned Jamal Roberts, a 27-year-old P.E teacher, as winner on Sunday, May 18. Roberts, who teaches at Crestwood Elementary School, was teary-eyed when host Ryan Seacrest made the announcement. Roberts performed on his original song 'Heal,' which melted many hearts, but even before the confetti settled, social media lit up. While fans couldn't stop raving about Roberts' performance and declaring that "America got it right this time," there were many who criticized the show for keeping his win a secret till the last minute of the three-hour-long episode.
A viewer took to social media to express his frustration and tweeted, "It’s inevitable every year, but I need American Idol to stop announcing a winner in the last minute of the finale - we need a FULL post-win performance & first remarks at LEAST." Echoing a similar sentiment, A Reddit user wrote on a thread titled, 'The Post-Show: Season 23 Grand Finale (May 18, 2025), "So happy!!!! But why did they wait till the last minute for the results?? I wanted to see him revel in his victory for a while!!! It was over way too fast - bad move Idol!!!!"Noting that the winners should get a chance to bask in the glory of their win, another Redditor said, "Could’ve given him longer to revel in his victory."
it’s inevitable every year, but I REALLY need American Idol to stop announcing a winner in the last minute of the finale - we need a FULL post-win performance & first remarks at LEAST#idol #americanidol pic.twitter.com/WrVrJMmun7
— Ava (@HelloAva) May 19, 2025
Criticizing the many celebrity performances featured in the final episode, a netizen wrote, "So many random filler performances that were unnecessary tonight for real." Agreeing to the sentiment, another added, "I just wish they didn’t cut his song off… one less performance by a random artist would’ve made that happen. SO happy for him." This isn't the first time fans have called out the show for being rushed. Earlier in the season, fans were already voicing their frustrations with how quickly eliminations were happening, without giving enough chance to the contestant to connect with the fans. On another Reddit thread titled, 'Anyone else feel like this season has felt so rushed? ' A viewer wrote, "Agree! I’d like fewer of the auditions and more of the top 10. I felt like we barely got the chance to know the contestants."
Speaking of the brutal axing of contestants, another Reddit user added, "Yeah, this season flew by cause we went from 26 to 12 in one week." The sentiment was echoed by a netizen, who said, "First time watching since the last season of the Simon/Paula/Randy era, and it just feels so different. All those core elements of what made Idol so enjoyable are now gone, and now it just feels so rushed. Where are the group performances? The criticism? We had no real opportunity to bond with these contestants because they do the cuts so early."
He joked, "That being said, I'm still watching next season." Despite facing backlash from fans, the finale went on to be a huge success. According to The Sun, ABC Network reported that the finale achieved 6.51 M viewers, which is the highest ratings in the past two years. With the ABC's announcement of season 24, fans are hoping to see a change and see the winner get the limelight they deserve.
