Did John Foster peek? ‘American Idol’ fans say he saw the results seconds before Ryan Seacrest's announcement
'American Idol' Season 23 ended on May 18 with the Top 3 battling it out for the ultimate title. It was announced early on that Breanna Nix was placed third, with the competition now being between Jamal Roberts and John Foster. As the competition came to a close and the anticipation intensified, it was revealed that Jamal Roberts is the 'American Idol' Season 23 winner. That said, a slight glance from Foster moments before the reveal has fans believing that Foster might have known who the winner was even before the announcement.
As is tradition, Ryan Seacrest was ready to announce who the season 23 winner is. Roberts and Foster stood on Seacrest's left with hands on each other's shoulders. As reported by TV Insider, the 'Idol' host took quite some time to announce who the winner is, which might have given Foster some time to look at the envelope and see whose name is on it. Fans took to social media to speculate that the 18-year-old already had a disappointed face before the results were even announced, making some think he had already seen the results.
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One 'Idol' fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “John Foster fully just saw the American Idol results 4 seconds before Seacrest announced it. He very clearly looked at the card." Another user added how the host should be facing the contestants and not standing with them by his side: "Ryan needs to be facing the contestants rather than next to them when announcing results. John Foster saw Jamal’s name before it was announced #americanidol."
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While the slight change in Foster's expression might have implied that he had seen the results, in a conversation with TV Insider, the young country singer cleared the air and said, “I was in a total blur. I knew I was at peace with being runner-up. Jamal is such an incredible performer. I was at peace. I really was. It’s a true honor to be runner-up.” While Foster stated how he "barely" saw anything, as reported by the publication, the clip of Foster's glancing at the envelope says otherwise.
Even though it was mere seconds before Seacrest announced the results, it's evident in Foster's glance and his expressions after that he knew he wasn't winning the title. As he glanced at the envelope, Foster had a subtle smile on his face as he immediately embraced Roberts the moment the result was announced, almost as if he knew it was Roberts' name on the envelope.