Rising star Jamal Roberts, who just made it into the top 7 on season 23 of “American Idol,” dropped a surprising truth bomb during the live episode on May 5, 2025. The physical education teacher from Meridian, Mississippi, shared the happy news that he became a dad for the third time this week.
Roberts has happily shared the spotlight with two of his daughters, Harmoni, 6, and Lyrik, 3, who have attended many of the “Idol” shows, cheering on their dad in the audience. But during a pre-taped segment that aired before he performed, Roberts revealed he’d just become a dad again “that day.” Producers then showed a photo of his newborn, named Gianna Grace Roberts.
Jamal Roberts Says His Daughters are ‘My World, My Life’
During the live episode, Roberts and the other contestants played “two truths and a lie” before their performances, each revealing which wild-sounding statements they shared were true, and which one was a lie. Though it seemed implausible that Roberts had suddenly become a dad again, he surprised fans with the news it was, indeed, true.
“It was so personal to me, I did not share it,” Roberts said. “But I have a healthy, beautiful, baby girl born today.”
It’s not clear which day baby Gianna was born, nor whom her mom is. But the newborn didn’t get a musical first name like Roberts’ other daughters, a decision he told Parade that he had to convince their moms of.
“I always said, even before I had kids, that I was going to name my kids after music,” Roberts told the outlet. “If I had another girl, she would be Melody. And then I had thought about Symphony, all these beautiful names. I love my daughters. They are my world, my life. They’re the reason I’m here and working so hard to keep smiles on those little faces.”
After the May 5 show, during which Roberts sang Fantasia’s “Believe,” fans flooded social media with notes of congratulations on his baby girl and making the top 7. One person who wrote, “Jamal, you killed that song!! Anytime you can make people cry! 😢 Man, stop playing. Let me go VOTE, Jamal. 😂😂😂 Congratulations on the new baby girl!!”
Another commented, “Week after week, Jamal knows exactly what he’s doing. That was another phenomenal performance! Congrats on your new baby girl!!! It’s easy to see what a wonderful dad you are, so she’s so lucky!”
Minutes after making it into the top 7, Roberts posted a photo of himself and thanked viewers for voting, writing, “Man I’m so grateful for everyone’s support💪🏾 everyone’s sacrifice means the word to me, please don’t stop Voting‼️”
Jamal Roberts Says Having Girls Taught Him How to Treat Women With Respect
Roberts has not revealed his children’s mother or mothers, but told Billboard in February, “Some people say don’t have kids before you’re married. Growing up in the church, of course we knew to be married before we had kids. I wasn’t, but being a dad is literally the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“It calmed me down,” he continued, “and gave me a better look at things and, actually, having girls teaches you how to treat a woman. They’re very sensitive, especially with their daddy. So you learn how to treat this one without making this one feel jealous.”
During a Facebook Live session after the May 5 show, Roberts thanked fans as he and his daughters packed for their trip to Disneyland. Noting how “exhausted” he is, Roberts recounted how he got choked up performing Fantasia’s “Believe” and admitted he was “trembling” with nerves as Seacrest read the voting results.
“It was a struggle tonight, for real,” Roberts said. “I got so emotional during that song. Like, I’ve been an emotional wreck these last couple days. When I sung that part — ‘I waited all my life for this moment to arrive’ — y’all might say, ‘He’s only 27, he ain’t lived that long.’ Man, let me tell you something. My 27 years, I’ve been through some stuff. I waited my turn, I wasn’t jealous of nobody else, I kept sticking to what I know.”
The top 7 will perform for the show’s annual Disney Night on May 11, with viewers’ votes that night determining the top 5.
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Jamal Roberts Surprises Fans With Baby News During Live ‘American Idol’ Show