‘American Idol’ finale was full of surprises, but fans say one moment was ‘way too rushed’ — and we agree
On May 18, 'American Idol' crowned its season 23 winner, Jamal Roberts, a PE teacher who hailed from Meridian in Mississippi. Roberts' soulful performances on Tim Odell's 'Heal' and 'Just My Imagination' by the Temptations resonated with the audiences. But when he was announced the winner, the air stood still. While fans were thrilled to see their favorite contestant win, as the confetti rained down and the cameras cut away, many were still left trying to process what had just happened!
Fans felt robbed as the show didn't allow the winner their due moment on the show. On the Reddit thread titled, 'The Post-Show: Season 23 Grand Finale (May 18, 2025)', a viewer voiced his disappointment, "Could’ve given him longer to revel in his victory." Emphasizing that the singing competition must focus on the finalist, another user wrote, "So happy!!!! But why did they wait til 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!!!!"
Viewers were also irate about too many performances in the finale. The star-studded finale included guest celebrity performances, including Kelly Clarkson, who performed on her new hit, 'A Moment Like This', and 'Before Your Love', and a performance from legendary hip hop icon Chance the Rapper, who sang 'Space and Time'. The slate of performances also included Jessica Simpson, Good Charlotte, Jelly Roll, and Salt-N-Pepa. As if it wasn't enough, judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan also took the stage. Pointing out the clutter, a frustrated viewer wrote, "So many random filler performances that were unnecessary tonight for real." Addressing the same issue, another viewer added, "They gotta cut out a guest performer or two next year to give the victory moment more room to breathe."
The discontent was not limited to the finale, similar sentiments were echoed many times throughout the season. On a Reddit thread title, 'This show has changed?', a viewer wrote, "Hollywood week is a blip in the rushed episode schedule and all feedback is praise and they made the song their own and God meant for them to be here and America is going to love them." Agreeing to the statement, a netizen said, "I don't remember. Are they doing a lot fewer episodes now? Not sure why all of these shows have to rush it so much." Criticizing the format of the show, a Reddit user added, " Seems like there’s no structure. Hard to follow what’s going on."
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Despite the chaotic execution and mounting criticism, 'Idol' managed to draw millions of viewers. As reported by The Sun, the finale alone pulled 6.4 M viewers, making it the highest-viewed episode in two years in 'Idol's history. However, with fans increasingly calling out the show for being chaotic, rushed, having unfair voting, and overly sanitized judging, the future of 'Idol' is hinged on producers, if they are taking notes. As anticipation builds for season 24, viewers can only hope the show takes a hard look at its missteps and cleans up the mess before the next curtain rises.