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‘American Idol’ winner reveals he hasn’t seen his $250K prize yet — and he’s just as confused as you are

Season 23 winner Jamal Roberts may not have received his prize money, but he knows exactly what he's going to do with it

On May 18, 'American Idol' crowned Jamal Roberts the undisputed winner of season 23, while finalist John Foster was announced the runner-up, and finalist Breanna Nix finished in third place. Roberts not only won the 'Idol' trophy but also, as promised, he is also entitled to a whopping $25,000,000 cash prize. But, even 10 days after the win, Roberts revealed, "No, I haven’t received it. Don’t know where it is. I’m interested in knowing," he said in an interview with Us Weekly on May 27. While Roberts was the only one to receive the cash prize, both he and Foster received an unforgettable Disney Cruise Line vacation for four.

However, the 27-year-old Meridian singer exactly knows what he will do when he receives the money. He shared, "I will put it in the bank." While the delay in the prize money can be a cause of anxiety for some contestants, for those who have already trod the path, it is not that surprising. Maddie Poppe, season 16 winner, once revealed that the winners don't get the entire amount upfront. "You get half of it before you complete your record, and then the second half you get after you complete the record. So it’s just like an advance from the record deal, but I’m pretty sure I have to recoup it," she said in an interview with Business Insider.

What's interesting is that even the prize pool has substantially changed over the years. Winner of season 1, Kelly Clarkson, took home $1M and an RCA record deal, per Parade. Winner of season 4 and now judge Carrie Underwood also took away the same amount when she won the title in 2005, as reported by People. Despite the noticeable gap in the winning amount, Roberts has always been grateful for his victory on the show and is still trying to adjust to the new reality. "I tell myself every day, ‘Did I just, you know, win American Idol?’ I asked myself that. I’m like, ‘Did I win American Idol?’” he said during the same interview with Us Weekly.

He also added, “It feels like it didn’t happen. It’s always been a dream, and now it’s a reality. I’m like, ‘Do I keep dreaming?’ I’m excited that America chose me."  Talking about how his win was received at home, Roberts, father of three, said, "They know is ‘Daddy win.’ That’s what they say. I was like, ‘Yeah, daddy won, baby,’” he gushed. “They don’t get the concept of what was going on. They just knew I was gone for a long time. And that I won.”

Apart from spending time with his family and at Crestwood Elementary school where he has worked as a P.E. teacher for years and counting, the new 'American Idol' is busy gearing up for his next performance at the CMA Fest in Nashville on June 4, as reported by Entertainment Now. The outlet also reported that the Meridian singer will also perform in a fundraising concert titled 'A Night of Soul, Celebration, & Support for Alcorn State Athletics' on September 19.