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Noah Thompson’s emotional return to ‘American Idol’ came with a twist fans didn’t see coming

"Getting to come back to Idol, where it all started for me and then to find out I'm playing the Opry. I don't even have the words," he said.

'American Idol' season 23 grand finale pulled in quite a few show-stopping moments, and one of them was the surprise presence of season 20 winner Noah Thompson. Although the Kentucky native was there to show his support for the finalists, his unannounced appearance meant a lot to John Foster. Thompson's wide fan base had been diligently rooting for the Louisiana native to win the Idol title. However, Foster didn't make it as a winner and was declared the runner-up in the competition. 

Thompson never anticipated another major announcement while being on the set of the ABC show finale. Carrie Underwood surprised him by revealing that he would be making his Grand Ole Opry debut on May 31st. The celebratory news coincided with the release of his new EP, 'Kids Like Me.' "Getting to come back to Idol, where it all started for me, and then to find out I'm playing the Opry. I don't even have the words. This is cool; see y'all on the 31st," he gushed, as per Full Access Magazine. The Kentucky native has also scheduled a countrywide tour after his Opry debut. Thompson shared the potential dates with his fans in an elaborate Instagram post. 

Meanwhile, not all 'American Idol' fans were rooting for Foster to win the competition. In a Reddit thread, fans called the 18-year-old an average singer. "If John Foster wins, he will be Laine Hardy 2.0, who beat Alejandro and is considered one of the worst winners," the title of the thread read. Fans were referring to the season 17 winner from Louisiana. "I get the appeal of John Foster, but there were better singers that got sent home; however, at the end of the day, it's called American Idol and not America’s best singer," a viewer lamented. "That argument could be made of John. It's the same cheesy, tired, old-fashioned country song. He hasn't even tried to do anything, country adjacent," a fan pointed out. "John Foster is much more country and 10x better than Laine Hardy. Hope winning doesn’t screw up John, though," an online user chimed. 

Foster has been expressing his gratitude over the past two days for his runner-up title. In a recent Instagram post, the teen called his position on 'American Idol' a divine intervention. He also thanked his massive fan base and the community back home. He also penned a special message for winner Jamal Roberts: "After gathering my thoughts, here is my latest message to my family! I also want to send a very heartfelt congratulations to all of my fellow finalists, especially Jamal, his family, and his community; he is an incredible performer with whom I’m honored to have shared a stage. I’ll certainly be praying for him as he continues his journey," he wrote. The teen also promised to announce new music as he continues to explore his newfound fame. In a previous post, Foster spoke about the incredible blessing he experienced while performing with legends and thanked the show for making his dreams come true.