American Idol 2026 Recap: Top 9 Disney Night (Top 7 Revealed) (Video)
American Idol Season 24 is back with another live show. Tonight (April 20) The Top 9 bring iconic Disney songs to life as America votes live to decide which seven finalists move on to next week’s show.
American Idol season 3 alum Jennifer Hudson mentors the hopefuls and guest judges, while performances from Disney hits “Descendants” and “Toy Story” and special appearances from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge bring additional fun.
Season 4 winner, Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan sit on the judges panel. Ryan Seacrest hosts.
VOTING FOR YOUR FAVORITES. No more American Idol phone app. Fans can vote on social media and by text message. Also, vote at AmericanIdol.com. The results will be revealed at the end of the live broadcast.
The show opens with the judges dressed as Star Wars characters. Carrie Fisher is Princess Leia. LITERALLY. Ha ha ha. Ryan is Yoda, which seems fitting. Pretty corny!
For the live show, Carrie wears a yellow Disney princess dress, a homage to Beauty and the Beast. Ryan, still dressed as Yoda, introduces the youngest EGOT winner and former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson! Yes, Jennifer also appeared this spring on The Voice season 29 as Kelly Clarkson’s Battle Rounds mentor. Double duty. It’s Jennifer’s first appearance on American Idol ABC.
Daniel Stallworth – A Whole New World from Aladdin.
Each of the contestants visit Disneyland while being mentored by Jennifer. She suggests that Daniel take his time performing the song arrangement. These mentoring sessions are short! Daniel’s Youtube numbers are low every week, which is a surprise because he’s a decent singer with good stage presence. But I suppose his vocals are somewhat generic. He hasn’t found a special voice that makes him stand out from the rest. Having said that, it’s a good song pick for him.
Lionel appreciates Jennifer’s advice, “You were just giving God’s gift to us.” Carrie likes the song pick. She feels he “crushed it.” Jennifer says, “The doors of the church are now open! I felt it. You took every note that I gave you.” Luke loves Daniel’s charisma and style. “You really started showing out at the end.”
Braden Rumfelt – Remember Me from Coco
Braden’s sister visited Disneyland with him. He’s dedicating the performance to his family. Jennifer intimidated him a little bit. “Remember your lyrics!” Jennifer warns. Braden’s performance last week was a little Vegasy for my tastes. But this week, he strips it down for a tender, sweet version of the Disney favorite. Braden’s vocal instrument is impressive.
Carrie feels his presence is “refreshing” You’re “getting into the character,” she says. Jennifer is proud of him. “I think you are a star,” she says. “You captivated me. You brought us into you. I hope to see you back again next week.” Luke calls the song “tricky.” He adds, “You did a great job creating the mood. I saw a lot in your future.” Lionel says, “That was tricky.”
Lucas Leon – Life is a Highway from Cars
18 year old Lucas is visiting Disneyland with his mom. He’s a big Cars fan. He grew up on the movie. Jennifer calls him an “old soul.” She suggests he look at the crowd during his performance. She works with Lucas on his stage presence Live, he plays electric guitar alongside a few band members. It’s a fun country performance. His vocals are growly and pleasing. He takes Jennifer’s advice and leads a clap along with the audience.
Jennifer felt he took her notes and “owned the stage.” She adds, “You are well on your way. Trust your instinct.” Luke appreciates that he’s so comfortable on stage at such a young age. Lionel says, “Give them everything you know how to do.” Carrie says, “That was joyful, you were having fun. It was fun to watch.” Luke feels Lucas has more confidence than he did at 18.
Hannah Harper – Almost There from The Princess and the Frog
Hannah feels she has no stage presence, so Jennifer helps her with the choreography. Jen suggests that Hannah pretend that she’s singing to her children. She took all three to Disneyland. During their mentoring session, Jennifer shows her how to play the character. “Have fun and embrace your moment.” Hannah is all dressed up like a 40s princess. Pretty in pink. She does manage to move around the stage a bit. She still doesn’t look entirely comfortable. But people love Hannah for her sweet country voice. And she does sound sweet. Her social media stats are killing it, she’s gonna win, y’all.
Luke says “I loved it. It made my heart smile. You started with this Reba character thing. You did it perfectly like your personality.” He calls it one of his favorites from her. Lionel suggests that she wear her shoes during rehearsal. He felt she concentrated too much on her feet. Carrie mentions how, during her season, she got “dragged” on the show for not moving enough. “You should be very proud.” Jennifer loves how Hannah is natural and “true to your moment.”
The Top 9 – You’ve Got a Friend in Me from Toy Story
Group number! Yay. The singers are soloing so far and It seems like they didn’t have much time to rehearse, if you know what I mean, It’s kinda awkward! But what would Idol be without awkward group numbers…right? It’s all promotion for Toy Story 5 coming to movie screens in July!
OH BOY NEXT WEEK is TAYLOR SWIFT WEEK.
Chris Tungseth – Let it Go from Frozen
Chris took his sister Laura to DIsneyland. Jennifer loves his voice on the song. He blows her away. But he feels like his stage presence is lacking. He’s struggling with feeling comfortable on stage. He’s taking on a big song. Chris’ problem is that he had no experience performing prior to Idol. Good voice, but not comfortable on stage. He’s got a good, unique voice, but he holds back. He finishes the song pretty well with a few big notes.
Lionel says, “Way to go Chris. I think you did fantastic. You were giving up expression.” Carrie is proud of him. She feels he really emoted. She wants to see more of that. Jennifer says. “You’re such a teddy bear. You’re so lovable and adorable!” But then she adds, “Don’t lose the song while performing. You earned your right to be here.” Luke is surprised by the song choice. “Great job in playing along with the moment.”
Keyla Richardson – Circle of Life from The Lion King.
Ah. Jennifer will coach Keyla on how to sing the song that she sang for Top 9 Elton John Night. She got kicked off the show two weeks later, however. Keyla visited the park with her son, of course. During Keyla’s session, the producers play Jennifer’s performance. The song begins a little low for Keyla. But she keeps her voice sturdy in a register that’s somewhat difficult for her. No worries, the chorus will allow her vocal to soar. She finishes strong. Jennifer wipes away a tear, and then TOSSES HER SHOE!
Jennifer calls the song “a testimony” and hopes it is the life changing performance for Keyla that it was for her. She feels the “circle of life” as she watches Keyla’s son, who reminds JHUD of her own song. Luke says, “Great job, great performance.” Lionel says, “Let the congregation say amen!”
Perfect Princess from The Descendents
Brand new song. Cast members from the new movie sing the song. Not live of course. But they are watching from the audience
Brooks – The Climb from Hanna Montana
Brooks’ sister did musical theater in high school. The singer confesses to Jennifer that he had no experience performing prior to American Idol. He struggles with confidence. Jennifer feels his introversion works for him. She gives him tips on how to phrase the song.
Aw, without his guitar, Brooks delivers a sweet and earnest performance of this Miley Cyrus classic. Some folks find Brooks unique tone annoying. And some love it. Count me in the latter category. He’s such an interesting singer, he doesn’t need to work the stage. He’s captivating without moving a muscle. However, he is having pitch problems here and there tonight.
Jennifer calls him brave and notes his “special sound.” She adds, “You deserve to be here.” Luke advises he keep digging. He felt the song got away from him a bit. Lionel thinks the magic is in his voice. Carrie is excited to see where Brooks goes. Ha HA HA.
Brooks and Rae “Hard Launch” their relationship!
Ryan drops the big news. Rae and Brooks are a couple. It’s gossip that’s been circulating around the internets for the past couple of weeks. Rae, who was eliminated last week, enters the stage to give him a big hug. “The princess is here to claim her prince.” OK. Those two couldn’t be more different. SO CUTE.
Jordan McCullough – Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas
Jordan brings his mom to the park. He mentions that Jennifer commented on one of his singing videos a few years ago. JHUD suggests that he make the song’s big moment happen right before the key change.
This song is so corny. Jordan turns the performance into a major moment for himself, however. It’s one big note after another. It’s a bit pagenty for my taste. However, Jennifer is losing it from her judges chair. She throws her shoe at the end.
Lionel says, “Shut your mouth.” Carrie says, “That was perfect. Jennifer throws ANOTHER shoe. The show is running short on time for judges comments.
Kyndal Inskeep – Butterfly Fly Away from Hannah Montana
Kyndal brought her newlywed husband to Disneyland. She becomes emotional talking about how she lost her voice and confidence last week. She’s still unsteady during her time with Jennifer. She warns Kyndal to keep her emotions under her control during the performance. The singer’s voice is back and she seems that her mojo has returned after being absent for a couple of weeks. The competition has been a struggle for the emotional singer. The judges give her a standing ovation.
“That was the way to step into your light,” says Lionel. “That was enough.” Carrie feels tough moments are important. She calls this week a redemption. Jennifer throws her shoe “That was absolutely beautiful.” Luke says, “Way to come back.”
RESULTS
TOM DIM THE LIGHTS. In no particular order, Ryan announces the Top 7: Daniel, Keyla, Jordan, Chris, Hannah, Brooks, Braden. Lucas and Kyndal are eliminated. Wow. Shocked over Kyndal. She had a good week. She would have killed the Taylor Swift catalog next week (in a GOOD way). When Daniel and Chris were declared safe, I knew fans were in for a surprise. Lucas is really good…for his age. He’s not such a shock. Although Kyndal had a few rough weeks, I’m surprised fans are rejecting her. Some fans are going to be mad Chris is safe again. But he’s a likeable guy, and hard to root against. I keep waiting for his breakthrough moment (which may never come, unfortunately).
Ryan asks, on the eve of the anniversary of her live elimination, what advice Jennifer has for the singers leaving the competition. She reminds them that they take their talent with them as they leave the show, and that it’s only the beginning of their careers. Afterward, the entire panel seemed shocked that Kyndal and Lucas were the two singers eliminated tonight. Meanwhile, Braden seemed to be preparing himself to go home before Ryan called his name.
Top 7
Daniel Stallworth
Keyla Richardson
Jordan McCullough
Chris Tungseth
Hannah Harper
Brooks
Braden Rumfelt
ELIMINATED
Lucas Leon
Kyndal Inskeep
Next week is two themes: Taylor Swift and California week! Comedian Nikki Glaser will represent the Cali side of things. (Somebody bettah sing The Beach Boys. Ever since Brian Wilson passed last June, I’ve been kind of obsessed with them all over again).
