It’s another exciting night of American Idol on ABC tonight with an all-new Monday, May 18, 2025, season 8 episode 19 called “Grand Finale” and we have your weekly American Idol recap below.
On tonight’s American Idol season 8 episode 19 as per the ABC synopsis,“It’s the grand finale! The Top 3 give their final performances in a star-studded night with music legends and top stars. Then, this year’s “American Idol” winner is revealed live.”
Tune in tonight at 8 PM EST! Celeb Dirty Laundry is your go-to place for all the up-to-date American Idol recaps, news, videos, spoilers, and more, right here!
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In tonight’s American Idol episode, it’s the Finale of American Idol! The contestants opened tonight with a performance of “We Are the Champions” by Queen. Not only was it a great song, but it was also a great anthem for them. This show has launched plenty of careers and not all of them won their season. There was hope for all of them.
Up first was country boy, John Foster. He wanted to do a song for his fans. The Americans that always supported him. Jelly Roll helped with that. He gave John the song “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)” to perform in their honor.
John loves this song. It was clear by the look on his face as he performed it. He started smiling the moment he hit the first note on the guitar. It was the same way in practice. Jelly Roll noticed it. He knew that this song meant the world to John and it did. It truly did. John has come a long way in the competition. He was so nervous during his audition. He wasn’t nervous anymore. He has been gaining confidence ever since then and this self-described country boy from Louisiana couldn’t be slept on. Following him was Jamal Roberts.
Jamal’s raspy voice was distinctive. It set him apart from everyone else from the start. He has a great voice and he showed that with his performance of “First Time”. Jelly Roll got it right again. He knew that Jamal was a man that lived. He does everything for his two daughters. He performed with his heart and soul in honor of them. He wanted to praise the family he created. They were watching on the sidelines. The kids didn’t get the moment. They will when they’re older. Jamal didn’t just perform. He showed such an ease onstage. He was such a smooth performer that there were no notes.
He was so smooth that the judges wanted to be like him. Jamal also smiled more tonight. It didn’t matter if he won or lose because he was going to keep moving forward. After him, the cast and crew fell in love with the baby eagle cam. It was a love that enraptured the whole nation. Americans have been watching to see those eaglets take flight for days. The crew would have gotten lost in it if Breanna Nix hadn’t given her all to win back the floor. She performed “In Jesus Name (God of Possible)”.
The song was perfect for her. Jelly Roll has been hitting out of the park tonight. He knew the perfect song for all the finalists. He allowed John to be brave. He allowed Jamal to be sexy. He allowed Brianna to honor her faith. Brianna has evoked Jesus’s name all throughout the season. She got teary-eyed in her performance tonight. She poured her heart into her music. The judges loved her performance. They also acknowledged that she made things much harder for America They all did because all three of them should win tonight.
They all deserved it. If there was any doubt, it was washed away when the stars went back home. They took the camera crew with them and the show captured the outpouring of love. John wrote a song in honor of someone important to him. Her name was Maggie. She passed a few years ago now. She also meant the world to him. His hometown concert kicked off with a performance of his original song. It was called “Tell The Angel I Love Her”. John started to perform and he just couldn’t finish it. The wound was still too fresh.
John broke down in tears during that performance. Still, he carried on. He carried on with “Country Road Take Me Home”. Jamal soon headed home himself. He returned to Mississippi. He returned to his girls. Jamal was also an educator. His students went nuts when they saw him again. They really love him. They were all excited to see him. Jamal got to enjoy a parade with his girls. They didn’t get the competition angle. Or the amazingness of their father. They did however understand confetti. They were kids and confetti was irresistible.
Jamal performed “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” for his hometown. His voice was always great with the classics. Jamal was a versatile artist. He could do any genre. The same for Brianna. She headed home to her boys. Her son and her husband. She loves her journey on “American Idol”. She also missed her baby. Her son was a toddler still. He came out to be with his mom tonight and he fell asleep. He mostly stayed in Texas with dad. The time difference doesn’t mean it wasn’t his bedtime.
Brianna was very special to her hometown. She was the last woman standing tonight. She was also humble. She often said she was just a mom and she came to learn with time that the only thing stopping her was herself. She performed “The Climb”. It was the perfect song choice for her. The last note alone cemented her in Idol history. There were other performances. This included the infamous and history making rappers, Salt N Peppa. They performed some of their best hits and made everyone so happy to see them.
They were great. The same for tonight’s contestants. Sadly, the one coming in third was Brianna. It was the end of her journey on the show and Idol did make up for it by bringing more of the classics. Good Charlotte performed next. Joel was Lyonel’s son-in-law. He knew better than to disappoint him on that stage. The judges also got part of the action. John got to perform with Luke. Luke started out as a country boy too. They got to perform some of country’s classics and John’s voice stayed true to him.
Canaan James Hill returned tonight. He brought along Kirk Franklin for a performance of “Melodies From Heaven”. They took everyone to church with that one. Mattie Pruitt also returned to perform with Goo Goo Dolls. They pulled off the classic “Iris” together. Brianna even got to perform again. She had a duet with Brandon Lake. They sung “Daddy’s DNA” together. It’s always good to see her. It was especially great to see all the artists tonight. Gabby Samone returned for a once in a life opportunity like performing “I Am Changing” with one of the original Dreamgirls, Jennifer Holliday.
This song also did wonders for Idol alum Jennifer Hudson. Now, that Jennifer didn’t win her season and she still went to become an EGOT winner. Tonight was far from over. Jelly Roll hit the stage. He performed a duet with Jamal. They performed “Unpretty” first. It was followed by “Liar”. They were both hitting every note so well and it was good to see them together. Ché and Filo had a performance with Myles Smith. They sung “Stargazing”. It was a beautiful moment in a night full of stars.
The last trio even pulled off “Nice To Meet You” together. There was also a great duet from Amanda Barise and PJ Morton. They performed “How Deep Is Your Love”. It was another classic. The audience even got to see the great Patti LaBelle. She performed a duet with Kolbi Jordan of “Lady Marmalade”. Then Carrie got in on the action. She performed “I’m Gonna Love You” with Slater Nalley and they were both left surprised when Cody Johnson joined them onstage. And it only after their performance that the audience was told some elusive artists were coming out of retirement just for them.
Before we got to them, Thunderstorm Artis performed with The War and Treaty. They sung “Hey Driver” together. It was a great performance. They should definitely tour together after tonight. This happened to be Carrie’s first year as a judge and so the audience got to see her journey. From her days being a contestant to when she actually flipped the script. She became a judge. She gave people the same opportunity that she got and she watched them live the American dream. Carrie knows that all success now came thanks to this show. The same will happen for the contestants too.
Jessica Simpson also wowed the stage. Jessica hasn’t performed in a while. She more focused on her business in recent years. She built a great brand and she now gets to enjoy it with her family. Only it was still good to see her perform again. She performed “Blame Me” by herself first. She was then joined by Josh King for their rendition of “These Boots Are Made for Walkin”. Lionel got to join all the fun as well. He performed “Stuck On You” with Carrie and Luke. And he held his own against two country artists putting their own spin on things.
Jamal’s children fell asleep after such a long night. John eventually got around to performing that original song dedicated to his late friend. Jamal got to perform an original as well. His was named “Heal”. It was a great performance and so was John’s.
It was a tough one but the winner of the twenty-third season of “American Idol” proved to be Jamal Roberts. Jamal’s smooth voice won over America.
And it was Jamal that ended the night with the final performance..
