American Idol
Season 24
Promotional poster
Hosted by Ryan Seacrest
Judges
  • Luke Bryan
  • Carrie Underwood
  • Lionel Richie
Winner Hannah Harper
Runner-up Jordan McCollough
No. of episodes 16
Release
Original network ABC / Disney+ (March 30 onwards)
Original release January 26 (2026-01-26) –
May 11, 2026 (2026-05-11)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 23
List of episodes

The twenty-fourth season of American Idol premiered on January 26, 2026, on ABC.[1] Ryan Seacrest returned as host; Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood returned as judges.[2][3]

Hannah Harper won the season on May 11, 2026, while Jordan McCullough was the runner-up, and Keyla Richardson finished in third place.

Auditions

Remote auditions were held from August 26 to October 6, 2025, as well as a number of open-call auditions. From these auditions, producers of the show selected the contestants who would be invited to audition in front of the judges.[4] Unlike previous seasons, where auditions were hosted in various cities, in-person auditions were only held at one site, Belmont University in Nashville.[5][6]

American Idol (season 24) – auditions
City Filming date(s) Filming venue
Nashville November 3, 2025 Belmont University

Hollywood Week

For the first time, Hollywood Week was not held in or near Hollywood (despite retaining its name). Instead, it was held in Nashville and was dubbed the "Music City Takeover".[6] A total of 127 contestants advanced to this stage of the competition. Each contestant performed a song of their own choice. After a select number of performances, several contestants at a time were called to the stage, and the judges sent some to the adjacent "Golden Room" which was a holding room for those who could advance, while the rest were eliminated. After all contestants performed, 60 were sent to the Golden Room while the judges made their final decisions, and the rest were eliminated.

Of those in the Golden Room, 28 of them were chosen as part of the Top 30, while another 28 were eliminated. The last four contestants performed two sing-offs of which one in each advanced, and the other was eliminated. The contestants who made it to the top 30 were: Makiyah, Jordan McCullough, Lucas Leon, Bella Emry, Madison Moon, Keyla Richardson, Braden Rumfelt, Chris Tungseth, Jake Thistle, Tianna Roberts, Philmon Lee, Brooks Rosser, Daniel Stallworth, Kutter Bradley, Bryant Thomas, Jesse Findling, Julián Kalel, Sheldon Riley, Brianna Yancey, Kiera Howell, Kyndal Inskeep, Hannah Harper, Ruby Rae, Jacquie Lee, Brenna Brigman, Rae, Genevieve Heyward, Abayomi, Michael Garner, and Chloe Lauren.[7]

'Ohana Round

The top 30 from Hollywood Week advanced to the next round known as the 'Ohana Round, which occurred at Disney's Aulani resort in Kapolei, Hawaii. Three performers were awarded Platinum Tickets by the contestants, the contestants' friends and family, and a panel of musicians and other industry figures respectively.[6]

After the 'Ohana Round, the Top 20 was selected; of the contestants in the Top 20, the three that received a platinum ticket were Jordan McCullough (voted by fellow contestants), Brooks (voted by friends and family), and Kyndal Inskeep (voted by musicians and industry figures).

Top 20 qualifiers
Contestant Song
Jordan McCullough "Grandma's Hands"
Lucas Leon "The House That Built Me"
Keyla Richardson "A Thousand Years"
Braden Rumfelt "If I Ain't Got You"
Hannah Harper "Go Rest High on That Mountain"
Genevieve Heyward "Your Song"
Abayomi "Rise Up"
Ruby Rae "Till Forever Falls Apart"
Rae "I'll Be There"
Jake Thistle "Sleep on Me" (original song)
Brooks "Everywhere, Everything"
Madison Moon "Faithfully"
Daniel Stallworth "The Climb"
Chris Tungseth "Iris"
Jesse Findling "Photograph"
Julián Kalel "Surrender" (original song)
Kutter Bradley "Amarillo Sky"
Kyndal Inskeep "Woman of Me" (original song)
Philmon Lee "All I Want"
Makiyah "Stand Up"

Top 20 (March 16 and 23)

The top 20 contestants were split into two groups of ten and performed a song each at Aulani. The first group's performances aired on March 16, while the second group aired on March 23. Brad Paisley and Keke Palmer both served as guest mentors during the round. Contestants are listed in the order they performed. The songs performed by the Top 20 and onwards were published on all music streaming platforms.

Color key:

  This contestant was saved by America's vote.
  This contestant was eliminated.
Group 1 (March 16)
Contestant Song Result
Makiyah "Bang Bang" Eliminated
Jake Thistle "The Power of Love" Safe
Genevieve Hayward "Pink Pony Club" Eliminated
Daniel Stallworth "All Night Long" Safe
Kyndal Inskeep "Call Your Mom" Safe
Kutter Bradley "It's Not Over" Eliminated
Jesse Findling "You Found Me" Safe
Hannah Harper "Ain't No Grave" Safe
Braden Rumfelt "Love On The Brain" Safe
Brooks "Dancing On My Own" Safe
Group 2 (March 23)
Contestant Song Result
Philmon Lee "Don't Stop Believin'" Safe
Rae "Respect" Safe
Lucas Leon "Just to See You Smile" Safe
Jordan McCullough "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" Safe
Abayomi "Mamma Knows Best" Eliminated
Madison Moon "Since U Been Gone" Eliminated
Chris Tungseth "Apologize" Safe
Ruby Rae "Drag Me Down" Eliminated
Julián Kalel "Tourniquet" Safe
Keyla Richardson "With A Little Help From My Friends" Safe
Non-competition performances (March 16)
Performer Song
Iam Tongi "Good for My Soul"
Iam Tongi & Thunderstorm Artis "Island Style"
Non-competition performance (March 23)
Performer Song
Skip Marley "One Love/People Get Ready"

Finals

Color key:

  This contestant was saved by America's vote.
  This contestant was saved by the judges.
  This contestant was eliminated.
  This contestant won American Idol.
  This contestant was the runner-up.
  This contestant finished in third place.

Top 14 – Songs of Faith (March 30)

Each contestant performed a song from the Songs of Faith songbook. No contestants were eliminated on March 30, as the social media votes were not totaled by the end of the broadcast. The eliminations were announced during the April 6 broadcast.

Top 14 (March 30)
Contestant Song Result
Keyla Richardson "Jireh" Safe
Jesse Findling "Bless The Broken Road" Safe
Lucas Leon "Gratitude" Safe
Daniel Stallworth "Brighter Days" Safe
Philmon Lee "Simple Man" Safe
Rae "Up To The Mountain" Safe
Jake Thistle "Have A Little Faith In Me" Eliminated
Braden Rumfelt "Hard Fought Hallelujah" Safe
Julián Kalel "Fix You" Eliminated
Kyndal Inskeep "Nothing But The Blood Of Jesus" Safe
Jordan McCullough "I Can Only Imagine" Safe
Brooks "Imagine" Safe
Hannah Harper "At The Cross" Safe
Chris Tungseth "By Your Grace" Safe
Non-competition performances
Performer Song
Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie & The Top 20 "Jesus Is Love"
Carrie Underwood, Canaan James Hill, Kolbi Jordan & Filo "How Great Thou Art"

Top 12 – 90s Judges' Song Contest (April 6)

Contestants were given three songs, each selected by the judges, to choose from. After each performance, contestants guessed who chose their song. The theme for the round was "90s" and every song choice was from the 1990s. Lionel Richie had the most song choices selected by the contestants, and was able to save one contestant from elimination.

Top 12 (April 6)
Contestant Song Selected by Result
Hannah Harper "Heads Carolina, Tails California" Carrie Underwood Safe
Jordan McCullough "Always Be My Baby" Lionel Richie Safe
Daniel Stallworth "It Ain't Over Til' It's Over" Luke Bryan Safe
Lucas Leon "It's Your Love" Lionel Richie Safe
Chris Tungseth "I'll Be" Carrie Underwood Safe
Philmon Lee "Hard to Handle" Luke Bryan Safe
Kyndal Inskeep "Iris" Lionel Richie Safe
Brooks "Linger" Safe
Rae "Love Will Lead You Back" Carrie Underwood Saved by Lionel
Braden Rumfelt "All By Myself" Lionel Richie Safe
Jesse Findling "Wonderwall" Eliminated
Keyla Richardson "Zombie" Safe

Top 11 – Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (April 13)

Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo served as a guest mentors this week. Each contestant performed one song from inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Top 11 (April 13)
Contestant Song Result
Chris Tungseth "Cold as Ice" Safe
Rae "MacArthur Park" Eliminated
Braden Rumfelt "Superstition" Safe
Brooks "These Days" Safe
Daniel Stallworth "Livin' on a Prayer" Safe
Keyla Richardson "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours" Safe
Lucas Leon "Bennie and the Jets" Safe
Kyndal Inskeep "Piece of My Heart" Safe
Philmon Lee "Hot Blooded" Eliminated
Hannah Harper "Landslide" Safe
Jordan McCollough "Somebody To Love" Safe
Non-competition performances
Performer Song
Carrie Underwood & Billy Idol "Rebel Yell"
Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo "Heartbreaker"
"Ring of Fire"

Top 9 – Disney Night (April 20)

Jennifer Hudson served as a guest mentor and guest judge this week. Each contestant performed one song from a Disney film. The Top 9 went to Disneyland before the episode. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 9 (April 20)[8]
Contestant Song Disney film Result
Daniel Stallworth "A Whole New World" Aladdin Safe
Braden Rumfelt "Remember Me" Coco Safe
Lucas Leon "Life Is a Highway" Cars Eliminated
Hannah Harper "Almost There" The Princess and the Frog Safe
Chris Tungseth "Let It Go" Frozen Safe
Keyla Richardson "Circle of Life" The Lion King Safe
Brooks "The Climb" Hannah Montana: The Movie Safe
Jordan McCollough "Colors of the Wind" Pocahontas Safe
Kyndal Inskeep "Butterfly Fly Away" Hannah Montana: The Movie Eliminated
Non-competition performances
Performer(s) Song
Top 9 "You've Got a Friend in Me"
The cast of Descendants: Wicked Wonderland (Malia Baker, Liamani Segura, Kiara Romero, Brendon Tremblay and Alexandro Byrd) "Perfect Princess"

Top 7 – Taylor Swift / California Songs Night (April 27)

Nikki Glaser served as a guest judge this week. Each contestant performed one song from the songbook of Taylor Swift and another by artists from California. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 7 (April 27)
Contestant Order Song Result
Jordan McCullough 1 "Tim McGraw" Safe
9 "I Can't Make You Love Me"
Chris Tungseth 2 "Exile" Safe
12 "What Was I Made For?"
Hannah Harper 3 "Mean" Safe
13 "That's the Way Love Goes"
Brooks 4 "Love Story" Eliminated
8 "She Will Be Loved"
Daniel Stallworth 5 "Fearless" Eliminated
10 "Best Part"
Keyla Richardson 6 "Lover" Safe
14 "I'd Rather Go Blind"
Braden Rumfelt 7 "Cardigan" Safe
11 "This Love"
Non-competition performance
Performer Song
Luke Bryan "Country and She Knows It"

Top 5 – Class of 2006 Reunion / American Idol X Dancing with the Stars (May 4)

Paula Abdul served as a guest judge this week, while Randy Jackson served as a guest mentor.[9] In celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the fifth season of American Idol, each contestant performed a duet with a contestant from that season.[10] They also performed with a professional dancer from Dancing with the Stars in a first-time crossover.[10] Jan Ravnik, Gleb Savchenko, Rylee Arnold, and Witney Carson made appearances this week.[10]

Top 5 (May 4)
Contestant Order Song Result
Keyla Richardson 1 "River Deep – Mountain High" Safe
6 "Living for the City" (with Taylor Hicks)
Chris Tungseth 2 "Northern Attitude" Eliminated
7 "The Thunder Rolls" (with Bucky Covington)
Braden Rumfelt 3 "Lose Control" Eliminated
8 "The Show Must Go On" (with Paris Bennett)
Hannah Harper 4 "Fever" Safe
9 "A Broken Wing" (with Kellie Pickler)
Jordan McCullough 5 "Footprints in the Sand" Safe
10 "A Song for You" (with Elliott Yamin)
Non-competition performance
Performer Song
Jamal Roberts "Perfect for Me"

Top 3 – Finale (May 11)

Alicia Keys served as the guest mentor and performer for the finale. The first round of songs was a tribute to Alicia Keys, based on the songs of her own discography. The second round of songs were selected by the contestants as a tribute to their hometowns. After Richardson was eliminated in third place, the remaining two reprised their audition songs, after which Harper was announced as the winner.

Top 3 (May 11)[11]
Contestant Order Song Result
Hannah Harper 1 "No One" Winner
4 "Married Into This Town" (original)
7 "String Cheese" (original)
Jordan McCullough 3 "If I Ain't Got You" Runner-up
6 "Dear God"
8 "Goodness of God"
Keyla Richardson 2 "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" Third place
5 "I Love The Lord"
Non-competition performances[11]
Performer Song
Top 3
with Alicia Keys
"Lovin' U"
Rae
with En Vogue
"My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" / "Free Your Mind"
Jake Thistle & Jesse Findling
with Blues Traveler & Gin Blossoms
"Hey Jealousy" / "Whatta Man"
Lucas Leon
with Brad Paisley
"I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)"
Chris Tungseth
with Nelly
"Cruise"
Carrie Underwood
with Mötley Crüe
"Home Sweet Home" / "Kickstart My Heart"
Brooks
with Cameron Whitcomb
"Kingdom of Fear"
Philmon Lee
with Shinedown
"Searchlight" / "Second Chance"
Alicia Keys & Raye "Fallin'"
Luke Bryan "Fish Hunt Golf Drink"
Julián Kalel
with Luke Bryan
"A Thousand Miles from Nowhere"
Braden Rumfelt
with Clay Aiken
"Rewind" / "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"
Hannah Harper
with Lee Ann Womack
"I Hope You Dance"
Daniel Stallworth & Jordan McCullough
with Tori Kelly
"Control" / "Confetti"
Kyndall Inskeep & Lainey Grace "Honest"
Keyla Richardson
with Jason Mraz
"I Won't Give Up"
Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood & Luke Bryan "Deep River Woman"
Hannah Harper "At the Cross (Love Ran Red)"

Elimination chart

Color key:

  Winner
  Runner-up
  Third place
  Did not perform
  Saved by the judges
  Saved by the public
  Eliminated
American Idol (season 24) - Eliminations
Contestant Pl. Top 20 Top 14 Top 12 Top 11 Top 9 Top 7 Top 5 Finale
3/16 3/23 3/30 4/6 4/13 4/20 4/27 5/4 5/11
Hannah Harper 1 Safe N/A Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Winner
Jordan McCullough 2 N/A Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Runner-up
Keyla Richardson 3 N/A Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Third place
Braden Rumfelt 4 Safe N/A Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Eliminated
Chris Tungseth N/A Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe
Brooks 6 Safe N/A Safe Safe Safe Safe Eliminated
Daniel Stallworth Safe N/A Safe Safe Safe Safe
Kyndal Inskeep 8 Safe N/A Safe Safe Safe Eliminated
Lucas Leon N/A Safe Safe Safe Safe
Philmon Lee 10 N/A Safe Safe Safe Eliminated
Rae N/A Safe Safe Saved
Jesse Findling 12 Safe N/A Safe Eliminated
Jake Thistle 13 Safe N/A Eliminated
Julián Kalel N/A Safe
Abayomi 15-20 N/A Eliminated
Madison Moon N/A
Ruby Rae N/A
Genevieve Hayward Eliminated
Kutter Bradley
Makiyah

Podcast

An official American Idol podcast, hosted by Danielle Fishel, launched on April 1, 2026.[12]

Podcast Episodes
Episode Date Guests
1 April 1 Jamal Roberts; Sasha Farber[13]
Bonus April 3 Genevieve Heyward and Kutter Bradley[14]
2 April 8 Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie; Andrea Barber; Jesse Findling[15]
3 April 15 Constantine Maroulis; The Miz; Megan Michaels Wolflick; Rae and Philmon Lee[16]
4 April 22 Lance Bass; cast of Descendants: Wicked Wonderland (Alexandro Byrd, Kiara Romero, Liamani Segura, and Brendon Tremblay); David Archuleta; Kyndal and Lucas Leon[17]
5 April 29 Lauren Spencer Smith; Jan Ravnik; Anthony Gargiula; Brooks Rosser and Daniel Stallworth[18]
6 May 6 Dancing with the Stars pros (Rylee Arnold, Witney Carson, Jan Ravnik, and Gleb Savchenko); Paula Abdul; Kellie Pickler; Braden Rumfelt and Chris Tungseth[19]
7 May 13 Clay Aiken; Jordan McCullough; Hannah Harper[20]

Voting information

Starting this season, the American Idol app, which was used for voting in recent seasons, was discontinued, and voting for this season occurred on the show's website and social media accounts as well as via text messages.[6]

Ratings

Ratings for Disney+ simulcasts are excluded.

Viewership and ratings per episode of American Idol season 24
No. Title Air date Timeslot (ET) Rating/share
(18–49)
Viewers
(millions)
1 "Auditions, Part 1" January 26, 2026 Monday 8:00 p.m. 0.6 6.22[21]
2 "Auditions, Part 2" February 2, 2026 0.6 5.47[22]
3 "Auditions, Part 3" February 9, 2026 0.4 4.49[23]
4 "Auditions, Part 4" February 16, 2026 0.4 4.75[24]
5 "Hollywood Week In Music City - Part 1" February 23, 2026 0.5 5.52[25]
6 "Hollywood Week In Music City - Part 2" March 2, 2026 0.4 5.19[26]
7 "'Ohana Round" March 9, 2026 0.4 5.09[27]
8 "Top 20 at Disney's Aulani Resort in Hawai'i - Part 1" March 16, 2026 0.4 4.70[28]
9 "Top 20 at Disney's Aulani Resort in Hawai'i - Part 2" March 23, 2026 0.4 4.79[29]
10 "Songs of Faith" March 30, 2026 0.4 4.86[30]
11 "90s Judges' Song Contest" April 6, 2026 0.4 4.86[31]
12 "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame" April 13, 2026 0.5 5.08[32]
13 "Disney Night" April 20, 2026 0.4 5.07[33]
14 "Celebrating Taylor Swift on American Idol" April 27, 2026 0.4 5.34[34]
15 "Class of 2006: Reunion / Idol X DWTS" May 4, 2026 0.4 5.21[35]
16 "Grand Finale" May 11, 2026 TBD TBD

[36]

References

  1. ^ Griffin, Griff. "American Idol Season 24 Release Date, Judges, and Everything We Know". Newsweek. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  2. ^ Norwin, Alyssa. "'American Idol' Judges Head Back to School in New Season 24 Teaser". Yahoo. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  3. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan. "Ryan Seacrest Returns to Host 'American Idol' Season 24". Variety. Retrieved September 9, 2025.
  4. ^ Vitarelli, Alicia. "'Idol Across America:' Virtual auditions for American Idol Season 24 are underway". 6abc. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  5. ^ Piner, Chris (October 29, 2025). "'American Idol' Going Country? Idol Returning With a Major Shakeup, Premiere Date Revealed". American Songwriter. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d White, Peter (January 22, 2026). "ABC's 'American Idol' Introduces Live Social Voting, Becomes First Reality Competition To Take The Leap". Deadline. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
  7. ^ https://ca.news.yahoo.com/american-idol-reveals-top-30-032356385.html
  8. ^ Oganesyan, Natalie. "Jennifer Hudson To Guest Judge And Serve As Mentor On 'American Idol' For Disney Night". Deadline. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  9. ^ "Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson returning to American Idol" (Press release). ABC Audio Digital Syndication. April 29, 2026. Archived from the original on April 29, 2026. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  10. ^ a b c Palinkas, Lorianne (April 29, 2026). "All Dancing With The Stars Pros Appearing In American Idol Season 24 Crossover (SPOILERS)". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on April 29, 2026. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  11. ^ a b Benutty, John; Davidson, Denton (May 11, 2026). "American Idol finale: Did Hannah Harper, Jordan McCullough, or Keyla Richardson win?". Gold Derby. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
  12. ^ Longeretta, Emily (March 23, 2026). "'American Idol' Sets Companion Podcast, Danielle Fishel to Host (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  13. ^ ABC, American Idol (April 1, 2026). "Official Podcast: Episode 1: Songs of Faith Night Breakdown". YouTube. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  14. ^ ABC, American Idol (April 3, 2026). "Genevieve Heyward and Kutter Bradley Reflect on IDOL: Bonus Clip!". YouTube. Retrieved April 3, 2026.
  15. ^ ABC, American Idol (April 8, 2026). "Official Podcast: Episode 2: 90s Judges' Song Contest Breakdown!". YouTube. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  16. ^ ABC, American Idol (April 15, 2026). "Official Podcast: Episode 3: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night Breakdown". YouTube. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
  17. ^ ABC, American Idol (April 22, 2026). "Official Podcast: Episode 4: Disney Night Breakdown". YouTube. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  18. ^ ABC, American Idol (April 29, 2026). "Official Podcast: Episode 5: Celebrating Taylor Swift Night Breakdown". YouTube. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  19. ^ American Idol (May 6, 2026). Official Podcast: Episode 6: Class of 2006: Reunion Breakdown | American Idol. Retrieved May 14, 2026 – via YouTube.
  20. ^ American Idol (May 13, 2026). Official Podcast: Episode 7: Grand Finale Breakdown | American Idol. Retrieved May 14, 2026 – via YouTube.
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  34. ^ http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2026/04/monday-tv-ratings-42726-nba-playoffs.html
  35. ^ http://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2026/05/monday-tv-ratings-5426-1-club-and-quiz.html
  36. ^ http://thefutoncritic.com/showatch/american-idol/listings/