John Foster Cries Through Touching Performance on ‘American Idol’

John Foster delivered a highly emotional performance in the three-hour, season 23 finale, which premiered on May 18, 2025.

(Spoiler Alerts Below)

The 18-year-old singer returned to Addis, Louisiana, where he saw the mom of Maggie Dunn, his friend who died in a car crash in 2022. He explained how he wrote his song, “Tell That Angel I Love Her,” on the day she tragically passed.

While he was back home, he also performed the song live and broke down crying while on stage. On the eve of the finale, Foster chose this as the single he released.

Inspired by this trip, Foster sang “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver for his final solo performance of the night. The judges were blown away by his performance, giving him a standing ovation, and Judge Luke Bryan said it “was wonderfully done.” 

John Foster Made It To The Top Two

Midway through the finale, host Ryan Seacrest revealed which contestant placed third in the very competitive competition.

Foster was joined by Breanna Nix and Jamal Roberts as the top three, and they each got to perform two solo songs.

Along with “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” Foster sang Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (the Angry American).” As for Nix, she performed Katy Nichole’s “In Jesus Name (God of Possible)” and  “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. And then there was Roberts, who sang Teeks’ “First Time” and The Temptations’ “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me).”

Seacrest revealed that Breanna Nix came in third place, while Foster and Roberts would continue on and compete.

How to Vote for John Foster

Voting began at the start of the finale at 8 p.m. Eastern time, per ABC, and will close during the last commercial break, around 10:50 p.m. Eastern time.

So, for fans who want to vote, there are three ways they can do so.

ABC’s Website
Fans can directly vote on ABC’s website. Each person gets a total of 10 votes and can distribute them as they wish across the final two.

“American Idol” App
Fans can get the app either via Apple for iPhones or via Google for Androids. Making a free account or using an existing MyDisney account will be required to vote.

Text
The third and final way to vote is through text. Each contestant gets a unique number, which is 13 , and that should be sent to 21523.