“This is the first time it’s ever happened,” Seacrest said on Monday’s live show.

American Idol’s live elimination postponed after unprecedented voting, shocking Ryan Seacrest and judges

"This is the first time it's ever happened," Seacrest said on Monday's live show.

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul’s Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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March 31, 2026 9:53 a.m. ET

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Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan on 'American Idol'. Credit:

Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty

*American Idol* has run into a shocking delay over its latest public vote, with the reality competition series even postponing a contestant's elimination as a result.

In the closing moments of Monday's live show, host Ryan Seacrest brought season 24's top 12 singers to the stage to announce which one would leave the program after competing on episode 10's "Songs of Faith" gauntlet.

"Out of all the classes, this is probably the most diverse," judge Lionel Richie said, with panelist and former *American Idol* winner Carrie Underwood adding, "There's pressure throughout, but it's just a different kind of pressure. You are live, but it also gives people the chance to rise to the occasion and show us what they've got. I definitely felt that tonight."

Judge and country artist Luke Bryan added, "I don't know how America chooses."

'American Idol' judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan watch a singer audition.

Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty

Before the lights dimmed, Seacrest told viewers that, for the first time in history, the show let viewers vote in five different ways, including a new social media voting system that resulted in "tens of millions of votes coming in at a rate we've never seen before. Truly unprecedented," the longtime host said.

"To ensure complete accuracy with the numbers, I was literally just told we are not going to announce eliminations tonight," Seacrest said as the panel reacted in shock.

He continued, "This is the first time it's ever happened. Believe me, I've been here every night. We want to make sure we get every vote counted, and every vote right. We'll carry forward those votes, get everything verified."

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Seacrest finished the episode by telling fans that "at the top of next week's show, your results will be revealed live on this stage," after "your top 12 will sing for your votes live all over again."

** has reached out to representatives for *American Idol* for comment on the delayed elimination and for more information on the public vote.

The development is the latest in a series of surprising headlines involving *American Idol *personalities, roughly one week after the judging panel's visit to *The View* saw cohost Joy Behar skip out on the interview one year after publicly criticizing Underwood's decision to perform at Donald Trump's second presidential inauguration.

Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan on 'American Idol' judging panel.

Connie Chornuk/Disney via Getty

A source previously told EW it was a "production decision" to remove Behar from the interview to allow more room for the three judges to sit for the conversation, resulting in six people at the Hot Topics table. However, during a Monday morning interview with two guests, the table fit seven people — including all cohosts who appeared on the show that day.

Behar's absence from the Hot Topics table for Underwood's interview came after former *View* cohost Elisabeth Hasselbeck lashed out at the 83-year-old comedian for criticizing Underwood's decision to perform at Trump's inauguration.

"You could learn from her strength," Hasselbeck advised to her former colleague, adding in a post on X, "That @TheView @JoyVBehar needs to simmer down off my friend."

*American Idol *airs Mondays on ABC.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Reality”