Carrie Underwood’s reaction to Jamal Roberts' ‘American Idol’ win has fans talking, and not in a good way
'American Idol' wrapped up its 22nd season on May 19, with Jamal Roberts walking away as the winner. He impressed both the judges and the audience with his performances during the finale. But while most fans were on board with the result, some couldn't help but notice that Carrie Underwood didn’t look too pleased, and they took to social media to talk about it.
Roberts performed four songs in total throughout his performance in the grand finale. He started with a group performance of 'We Are the Champions' by Queen, with finalists John Foster and Breanna Nix. Roberts then performed 'First Time' by Teeks as his first solo performance, followed by his rendition of 'Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)' by The Temptations. The 'Idol' winner then performed 'Her Heart' by Anthony Hamilton, which was followed by 'Heal' as his final solo performance.
While everyone rose to a cheer as Roberts finished his final solo performance, 'Idol' fans were quick to notice how Underwood got up a bit late from her seat. One fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "I don't think Carrie Underwood liked or cared for Jamal & it showed even when she tried to hide it; that evil dislike was easy to see smh." As reported by the U.S. Sun, Underwood has been critical of Roberts in the past as well. When Roberts performed 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' by Marvin Gaye, he received a standing ovation from the audience and the judges, everyone except Underwood, as she then went on to state, "I feel like you missed such an opportunity to move around and entertain."
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That said, fans were overjoyed to see Roberts win the competition despite all the animosity from Underwood. "I’m sorry, but @carrieunderwood seems like her excitement is forced," one social media user wrote under an Instagram video of the judges clicking pictures with Roberts. However, despite all this, Underwood posted a picture with Roberts as she wrote, "Congratulations to the newest winner of @americanidol !!! I’m so proud of @officialjamalroberts and all he has accomplished this season, and I can’t wait to see what mountains he climbs next! He’s going to do great things!"
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Fans flooded the comments section, calling the former 'Idol' winner out. "She took this picture for the internet. She definitely did NOT want him to win!!" One fan wrote. Another shared the sentiment while congratulating the latest 'Idol' winner. "Girl, you shaded him… But carry on. Congratulations, Jamal, you TRULY deserved this!" A week before the finale, after Jamal's performance, judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan gave the 27-year-old singer a standing ovation, while Underwood remained seated and offered lukewarm feedback. "Your voice is incredible," Underwood said. "I feel like you missed such an opportunity to move around and entertain. We are getting close to the end here; it is time to pull out all the stops. And we know you have that in you. So, like, pull us all in not just with your voice but with everything else going on. Put 100% of yourself into it. Let's go." Later, the show's fans slammed the judge brutally on social media for the harsh feedback. Calling out Carrie on X, one person wrote, "Carrie, you seemed very unhappy doing this show; we could feel it. Maybe you should not come back next year! You were hard on Jamal, Sun. & Mon. Not a good look in your position! very apparent."
