It’s another exciting night of American Idol on ABC tonight with an all-new Monday, April 20, 2026, season 9 episode 13 called “Disney Night” and we have your weekly American Idol recap below.
On tonight’s American Idol season 9 episode 13 as per the ABC synopsis,““Disney Night” is back! The Top 9 bring iconic Disney songs to life as America votes live to decide which seven finalists move one step closer to their dream of becoming the next “American Idol.”
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It was Disney Night on the show! There was a guest judge. Jennifer Hudson in all her EGOT glory returned to be a guest judge and it goes without saying that she was the most successful American Idol alumni. She was there to help get the contestants into shape. She first assisted Daniel. Daniel had a “A Whole New World”. It was a classic for Disney kids around the world. He was a preacher and at first he wasn’t connecting with the song. Not until Jennifer pointed out that he should be taking people to church with a voice like his.
Daniel knew how to work a crowd. He needed to channel that in his singing voice. The end result was a beautiful thing to hear. It sounded like a cross between a sermon and the church choir. He had people believing in the message of the song. Like yes sir, a magic carpet ride is what everyone should subscribe to. Daniel impressed and unfortunately the next guy had an issue with his voice. Braden was so nervous to be around Jennifer that he confessed to everything. He went on the Disney rides where he yelled himself hoarse.
Braden also forgot the lyrics to the song. He was full of nerves. Jennifer was looking him at sideways because she had to remind him that this was a competition. The audience as well as the judges were going to be looking for any signs of weakness. He had to reel back the nerves. He got the song “Remember Me”. It was from the movie “Coco”. It was a lot harder to perform than Braden initially believed. The original performers made it sound effortless. He couldn’t do that so he tried to pour emotion into it.
Braden thought of his family when he performed. It hadn’t been enough. He still did a good job. It just wasn’t as great as previous performances. He was followed by Lucas. Lucas performed “Life Is A Highway”. He loved that song because he loved the movie that best used it, The animated movie named “Cars”. He loved cars in general which resulted in him watching that movie several times as a kid. He loves it. He was wearing his trusty guitar. He played it as he performed and he too was given advice from Jennifer.
Jennifer advised him to hype up the crowd because everyone knows the hook in that song. Only he completely forgot about it onstage. He relied on his gut instinct and confidence. It paid off because he gave a stellar performance. This baby faced singer has a future. Lucas was soon followed by Hannah. Hannah performed the song “Almost There” from “The Princess And the Frog”. The original version was performed with such soul that Hannah initially lacked. Jennifer felt that Hannah was too nervous. She was the mother of three so Jennifer told her to picture her kids in the audience.
Throw in some dancing. She dances with her children so put that emphasis into it. Hannah did fully emersed herself in the song. She was dressed up like she came from the Roaring 20s. She did some dancing. Her voice started off a little wobbly only she gained confidence with the song. She and the rest of the final nine performed “You’ve Got A Friend In Me”. Hannah dressed in character for that song as well. She looked like a female Woody. It’s a shame that others didn’t dress up too. It would’ve been nice if there was a Buzz.
After their joint performance, it then became Chris’s turn to hit the stage. He performed “Let It Go” from “Frozen”. Not even Jennifer knew how he turned a modern classic into a Southern Rock song. She was stunned and so was the audience when they eventually heard his rendition. He was so nervous. He said it felt like he was onstage naked. Jennifer did her best to calm him because she knew if he wasn’t having a good time then neither would anyone else. Chris was able to show off his soft teddy bear ways. And Jennifer still looks at him with fondness.
Keyla then followed. Keyla got to take her son Drew to Disney parks. He loved the rides. He also loved getting in trouble with the baddies from Star Wars. Keyla loved sharing that with him, but what she loved the most about being on the season was meeting Jennifer Hudson. She’s been watching her since she was a kid. She loved Jennifer. Jennifer was someone that many little girls could aspire to become. Its why Keyla wanted to do Jennifer proud with her song “Circle Of Life”. Jennifer performed it on season three. Now it was Keyla’s turn.
Keyla has such an amazing voice that it was proving to be unstoppable. She performed with great justice to the original and Jennifer’s version. She also stood out tonight. There’s a reason she earned a standing ovation tonight. She earned every bit of it. She was followed by a performance from celebrities before the show returned to the contestants. Brooks was up next. He loved the song “The Climb”. It technically it came from a Disney movie. The Hanna Montanna movie was real and it led to everyone having a great time both then and now.
Brooks said this song spoke to him. It’s why he didn’t wish to hide behind a guitar for this one. He normally played the guitar and this song didn’t need it. He needed it to be stripped down to the basics. It allowed him to be vulnerable that way. Brooks was a great singer and he fully deserved to be there tonight. It’s just that no one will remember his performance. They will remember that tonight the hard launch on his relationship with Rae. Rae has already been eliminated and she returned solely to be there for her man. Congratulations to the happy couple!
Jordan came on after the hard launch. He chose the song “Colors Of the Wind”. Finally, someone chose “Pocahontas”. Pocahontas has one of the best Disney soundtracks and Jordan more than honored it. He has such a lovely voice. He didn’t need much direction on what to do with it. Jennifer instead told him to go big. His voice sounded so beautiful that Jennifer threw her shoes. Not just one shoe. She threw them both. Jordan’s voice was special and that’s why the shoes got thrown across the stage.
Jordan was followed by Kyndal. The problem with Kyndal was that she has too much heart. Too much or too late were both problems. Kyndal chose the song “Butterfly Flew Away” from Hannah Montanna. She said the song spoke to her journey. It’s why it made her so emotional. Her voice kept breaking during rehearsals. It got so bad that Jennifer told her to pull back. Reel in those emotions before they wreck her performance. Kyndal did what she could. She pulled back only not all of it and she gave her one of the most heartfelt performances of the night.
For that alone, she also got one of Jennifer’s shoes. The contestants didn’t need to win the season to become known faces and so there’s hope for everyone. The results were in. The people going home tonight were Kyndal and Lucas.
THE END!
