“Idol” fans are still reeling from Monday’s unprecedented voting holdup, which host Ryan Seacrest announced live on air.

*American Idol *judges and past winner react to shocking elimination delay: ‘We broke the machine’

"Idol" fans are still reeling from Monday's unprecedented voting holdup, which host Ryan Seacrest announced live on air.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

EW's editorial guidelines

April 1, 2026 5:08 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan reacting to March 30's shocking elimination results on 'American Idol'. Credit:

- *American Idol*'s judges, host, and even a past winner are all reacting to Monday's shocking non-elimination.

- At the end of season 24's 10th episode, Ryan Seacrest announced that for the first time in *Idol *history, no one would be going home due to an "unprecedented" amount of votes from the new social media system.

- "We broke the machine that we created to get all the votes," judge Lionel Richie remarked.

After 24 years on the air, *American Idol* is still full of surprises.

Monday's episode of the ongoing 24th season culminated in an *Idol *first. When it came time for host Ryan Seacrest to announce who would be leaving the competition, he revealed that in fact, there would be no elimination.

After a "truly unprecedented" number of votes poured in via a new social media system, Seacrest announced,"To ensure complete accuracy with the numbers, I was literally just told we are not going to announce eliminations tonight."

Judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan were all shocked. The contestants were shocked. Even Seacrest looked shocked! As the dust settles before what is likely to be a double elimination next Monday, Seacrest, Richie, Underwood, Bryan, and season 23 winner Jamal Roberts are all reacting to the polarizing moment.

"They handed me the card and they said, 'There's no results on that card for you to reveal, because there's so many coming in for social vote. To get it right, we've got to push it to next week. Go!'" Seacrest recalled to ABC's *On The Red Carpet** *after the episode.

"We broke the machine that we created to get all the votes," Richie added, noting the newness of the social media voting system, which was implemented in season 24 after the *Idol *app was discontinued, and with it, the app-based voting system.

Bryan noted, "We as judges, we're very much in the dark on what's going on when the votes are coming in. I'm sure it was pretty shocking looks on our faces." He then pointed out he "knew they were needing more time for something" when Seacrest uncharacteristically pivoted to a question-and-answer round before the results were announced.

"Most of the time Ryan comes back in and we get down to the business of seeing who goes to the next round," Bryan explained.

'American Idol' postpones elimination after shocking public vote: 'First time it's ever happened'

Joy Behar skips 'View' interview with Carrie Underwood after criticizing Trump performance

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter*****.**

Underwood saw ups and downs to Monday's non-elimination.

"On one hand, two people don't go home tonight. Two more people. On the other hand, they have to wait another week to figure out if they're in the top 12," she said.

Ryan Seacrest interviewing 'American Idol' season 23 winner Jamal Roberts in 2025.

Christopher Willard/ABC

Even more reactions poured in on Wednesday with the launch of the *American Idol Official Podcast*. *Boy Meets World *and *Dancing With the Stars *alum Danielle Fishel, who hosts the podcast, opened the inaugural episode by explaining that after each Monday's *Idol*, she'll speak with the eliminated contestant.

"Except for tonight, because in a surprising turn of events, nobody went home! That was a decision that was made very unexpectedly right before the show ended," she said. Fishel's first guest, season 23 Jamal Roberts, also threw in his two cents on the matter.

"I don't know if my season would have took that too well, we were already stressed out," he joked. "I think going home was the easiest thing we could have done. We wouldn't have made it."

*American Idol *airs Mondays on ABC.

You can watch Roberts' full interview on the *American Idol Official Podcast* above.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Reality”