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Carrie Underwood in tears as ‘nepo baby’ gets evicted from 'American Idol': 'He deserves to...'

"I feel like every time you get on the stage, you give us more," said Carrie Underwood while lauding a nepo 'American Idol' participant

ABC's 'American Idol' Season 23 is grabbing major headlines with its talented roster of aspiring singers. While the competition opens the stage for contestants from various backgrounds, the son of a famous singer recently captured fans' hearts with his captivating performance. The young singer managed to impress judges and viewers, but the nepotism tag attached to him also earned some criticism. However, when this contestant was eliminated, Carrie Underwood couldn't help but shed tears. Not only that, fans also shared their mixed reactions. 

During the April 21 episode of 'American Idol,' Underwood got emotional while revealing the final Top 14 contestant, which ended with the elimination of Baylee Littrell, the last 'nepo baby' of Season 23 and son of Backstreet Boys' Brian Littrell, as per Daily Mail. Underwood repeatedly reminded viewers that "all" the remaining contestants were "great," as six of the final 13 were about to be eliminated. Ultimately, she announced Amanda Barise as the last to make it into the Top 14.

Baylee, along with Isaiah Misailegalu, Olivier Bergeron, Drew Ryn, Zaylie Windsor, and Victor Solomon, did not secure enough public votes and had to perform again in hopes of winning a judges’ save. Baylee sang 'All of Me' by John Legend, delivering what Underwood called his standout moment. "Baylee, I feel like every time you get on the stage, you give us more. I feel like this was your best performance today," she said. She further added, "I don't know if it's, like, just confidence or song choice or what that thing is, but keep doing more of this... all of the stars are kind of aligning right now, and I feel like this was really the first time that I was like, he's a front man, like, he needs it, he deserves to be on this stage."

Fans were also left disheartened with Littrell's elimination as they took to X to share their opinion. One fan noted, "I haven’t watched American Idol in years, and I watched it because of Baylee Littrell. Now I know I haven’t; it’s just a popular contest. That’s why I also haven’t watched The Voice or America’s Got Talent as well." A fan said, "Oh, Baylee... That last performance was especially beautiful. We love your music and can't wait to see where the Baylee train goes next." While others shared, "Devastated for Baylee Littrell. Please keep putting yourself out there, @littrell_baylee."

On the other hand, some fans also expressed their content with Baylee's elimination, as one said, "#americanidol Baylee would not have gotten through the first round if he wasn't Brian Littrell's son. He can't outsing anyone on that stage." Another also noted, "If you voted for Baylee just because you're a BSB fan, then that's called bias voting. I've been a BSB fan since I was a teen, but Baylee has not wowed me at all. Mky has more stage confidence than Baylee, and Baylee has been on stage with his dad ever since he was a kid."

Following Littrell’s elimination from the show, the singer posted a heartfelt message on his Instagram account, writing, "My American Idol journey has come to an end," Baylee wrote in an April 22 Instagram post. "Thank you so much to all that supported me this season. I love you all," as per E! News. The post included a bunch of photos from his performances on the show. His father, Brian, shared heartfelt words in the comments, expressing his pride and support as he wrote, "Bubba, I am and always will be in your corner. You are so strong and so very talented and inspire me every day. It's never the end, only the beginning for so many to be blessed by your gifts. You killed it last night."