As season 23 of “American Idol” continues with the next live episode airing on April 27, 2025, it will come with one major announcement and one major voting change.
After receiving mentorship from music legend James Taylor, the top 14 contestants will perform songs originally recorded by “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” inductees. In honor of the night’s theme, host Ryan Seacrest will announce on the episode who made the 2025 class of inductees, which could include a prior “Idol” judge.
Meanwhile, contestants have begun alerting their fans of a huge change to the voting process. Rather than giving viewers until the following morning to cast their votes, “Idol” moves to live voting with the April 27 episode. That means viewers will have less than two hours to vote, with the top 12 being named before the episode ends.
2025 Marks the 2nd Year ‘American Idol’ Will Reveal Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees
When Seacrest reveals which major artists have been voted to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2025, it will be his second year doing so.
The show partnered with the Hall of Fame for the first time in 2024 and had Hall of Famer Gene Simmons, the lead singer of KISS, mentor the contestants. Judge Lionel Richie, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022, helped Seacrest make the announcement last year.
Among the nominees for the new class of inductees, according to Rolling Stone, is Mariah Carey, who was an “Idol” judge during season 12 in 2013. Other nominees are Phish, Outkast, Oasis, Billy Idol, Cyndi Lauper, Joy Division/New Order, Soundgarden, the White Stripes, Joe Cocker, Bad Company, Black Crowes, Chubby Checker, and Maná.
To qualify for this year’s ballot, Rolling Stone reported, the first single or album by each nominee had to be released in 2000 or earlier. Of the nominees, Phish won the fan vote with 330,000 fans rallying behind the band, according to Variety. But that doesn’t mean the band will be inducted. Variety said earning the fan vote is the equivalent of one ballot alongside 1,200 other ballots cast by “industry insiders.”
Fans Will Have Less Than 2 Hours to Vote For Their ‘American Idol’ Favorites
DisneyWhile Seacrest reveals the newest Hall of Fame inductees, the top 14 contestants will likely be texting and posting everywhere they can to remind their fans to vote them into the top 12. For the first time this season, the results will be announced at the end of the show, which means viewers have to vote live during the two-hour show.
Knowing their fans need to be prepared to vote for them quickly, some contestants have already begun urging their social media followers to get ready.
Thunderstorm Artis posted on April 25, “Hey Storm Chasers‼️This Sunday AND Monday they are eliminating 2 people per day. So a total of 4 people 🤯”
He continued, “‼️‼️VOTING will begin at 5pm PST – 6:50pm PST. So voting only lasts the duration of the live show and they announce votes at the end of the show!”
Gabby Samone also let her followers know about the big change, writing on Instagram, “We’re going LIVE 🌊 coast-to-coast 🌊 for the first time ever, so remember those votes early as soon as the show starts if you want to see me in the #TOP12! 🕐”
As usual, viewers will have three ways to vote, and can cast 10 votes per contestant, per platform. During that less than two-hour window, they can vote via the “Idol” website, the “Idol” app, and by texting an individual contestant’s unique number to 21523.
“American Idol” airs on April 27 at 8 p.m. Eastern time, and on April 28, when viewers will again have under two hours to vote, determining the top 10.
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Huge Announcement & Voting Change Coming to This Sunday’s ‘American Idol’