American Idol 2026: Top 20 Perform, Vote for 10 to Join Top 14 Tonight!

Paulette CohnTue, March 17, 2026 at 2:00 AM UTC

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(Disney/Eric McCandless)

Now that American Idol has revealed the Top 20 from the Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawai’i, the competition opens up for the first time for America’s vote – and host Ryan Seacrest shared that gone is the American Idol app for voting. It has been replaced by social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) voting. Text voting and online voting are also still in place.

Tonight, America will be voting for 10 of the Top 20 to make it through to the Top 14, with the final 10 performing next week. The results won't be revealed until the March 30 episode.

Taking the stage were Makiyah, Jake Thistle, Genevieve Heyward, Daniel Stallworth, Kyndal (Platinum Ticket), Kutter Bradley, Jesse Findling, Hannah Harper, Braden Rumfelt, and Brooks (Platinum Ticket).

Joining judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie to critique the artists was KeKe Palmer, who also served as a mentor, along with Brad Paisley. There was a fun moment when host Ryan Seacrest ran a video of Keke from her American Idol Juniors audition from when she was 9 years old. And in a flashback, former American IdolIam Tongi performed the title track from his debut album “Good for My Soul,” and dueted with Idol finalist Thunderstorm Artis on “Island Style.”

Here's our spoiler-filled recap of who went home on American Idol tonight, and who made it through to the Top 14.

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Who went home on American Idol tonight?No one!

The results of tonight’s voting will be revealed on Monday, March 30, after the second group of Top 20 finalists perform next week.

Here’s how the night broke down:

Song: “Bang Bang” by Jessie J,Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj

Keke said: “Talk about a crowd pleaser. From the moment you stepped out, you had the audience engaged. In the first verse, did something happen really quick? Your recovery was insane. It was a quick moment but then you breezed right through it and you kept the energy high the whole time. It was incredible. Insane.”

Song: “The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis & the News

Lionel said: “Did I detect this sexy, Jake? And then I’ve never seen you when you get this ugly face. That means you’re singing your heart out. That’s what we’re looking for.”

Song: “Pink Pony Club” by Chappel Roan

Carrie said: “I remember early on when you were talking about what kind of artist you wanted to be, you wanted to occupy that pop/rock space, and I love that you took this giant pop anthem and toughed it up a little bit. The second you walked on stage, it was like, ‘What’s this girl about to do?’ and you’re having fun with it.”

Song: “All Night Long” by Lionel Richie

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Lionel said: “I am going to give a compliment I never said before. A lot of people will try to do that song. You took the song and made it yours. It was amazing. I am telling you that if you put it out tomorrow, I will split it with you.”

KYNDAL (Industry Platinum Ticket Winner)

Song: “Call Your Mom” by Noah Kahan

Luke said: “No matter what you sing, whether you write the song or it’s someone else’s, you present it like an artist presents. That cry in your voice is so intoxicating. I was just hanging on every word. You are an artist, a big-time artist.”

Related: American Idol 2026 Results Last Night: Who Went Home and Who Made the Top 20?

Song: “It’s Not Over” by Daughtry

Keke said: “It was good to see you lose yourself on stage. Seeing you perform it yesterday was great and we had the vibe but seeing you with the band and the element going, you embodied it. This is definitely your lane.”

Song: “You Found Me” by The Fray

Carrie said: “I for one love that the beginning was a little shaky because you’ve been so polished and perfect this whole time, it reminded us that you are human. The way that you shook it off and sunk into the song, that was the most movement we’ve seen from you. It was working. It was wonderful. The end was absolutely soaring.”

Song: “Ain’t No Grave” by Bethel Music & Molly Skaggs

Lionel said: “She delivered. When you can actually be the storyteller and then sometimes in the middle of that performance, you went from singing to preachin’, what I’m saying to you is when you see everybody going [he bops up and down], okay, that means we’re listening and you’ve got our attention. Great job."

Song: “Love on the Brain” by Rihanna

Luke said: “When you start singing, we’re like, ‘Whoa! What’s that?' We just got to get you to build on it and build on it and get some swagger and even more confidence. The best way to know what you’re doing is to look at the girls, and Keke was about to fall out of her chair. She had ants in her pants. That’s kind of important in the music business. Understand, you’ve got this instrument. Use it to your advantage and work the room and keep delivery from the time the song starts until it ends.”

BROOKS (Ohana Platinum Ticket Winner)

Song: “Dancing on My Own” by Calum Scott

Keke said: “You really do have one of the most magical voices I’ve ever heard. It is cinematic, it’s soundtrack. I’m in the movie. I’m in the lake and I-don’t-know-what-happened-to-my life-type voice. It’s really insane, and I know this is probably all so much for you. When we were doing the mentoring, you were, ‘When I do the big notes, I get nervous.’ But you must stay in this competition. This is my call out to America because I’ve got to see you grow. I need to see you become the kind of artist, I know you will be.”

American Idol airs Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Streams next day on Hulu.

Next, American Idol Returns in 2026 with Three Game-Changing Shake-Ups

This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”