American Idol season 23 is getting closer to crowning its winner ... but fans have thoughts about one contestant's shocking move that just changed the entire competition.
On the May 5 episode of the ABC competition series, folks watched as it was revealed who would move on to the next week's performances as part of the Top 7. In a surprise no one saw coming, Josh King and Mattie Pruitt found themselves in the bottom two after audiences voted on American Idol. While Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie discussed who to save, Josh did something completely surprising.
In an unexpected move that left people stunned, he gestured to Maddie, seemingly encouraging the judges to choose her to continue on in the competition rather than himself. As People reports, the judges then saved Mattie and sent Josh home.
When fans realized how Josh was ready to give up his spot so Mattie could try to make her singing dreams come true, they didn't hold back their reactions online. In the American Idol subreddit, someone started a thread titled "Josh King Appreciation Thread" — and the responses praising his character were plentiful.
"Class act!" one user wrote in the comments. "Genuine kind soul. We will miss you Josh!" another exclaimed. "My sentimental favorite! A true character with a bright future ahead. So disappointed to see him go!" a different follower added. "Adorable how he saw Mattie was upset and was signaling to the judges that they should pick her. Not that I think that impacted their decision but just says something about his character," another wrote.
Fans first met Josh early on in American Idol season 23, when he performed a moving rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz. Josh quickly made an impression on the judges and audience alike with his unique approach to music — and the songs he chose to showcase his voice. His last performance on American Idol was him singing the song "Home" by Michael Bublé ... which seemingly had more meaning than he may have expected.
As for how Josh feels about his journey on American Idol, he shared a heartfelt note about it on Instagram on May 6.
"And so we close my chapter on @americanidol," he wrote in the caption. "I'll never forget this challenging, chaotic, yet fun experience ... Thank y'all again for the memories, for the challenging slog that was the last couple of days of Hollywood Week, and everyone who carried me through it on their shoulders. Thanks for the late nights playing Smash Bros, for letting me make the worst jokes known to mankind nearly 24/7 and suffering through the take out food diet with me. 😂 Thanks for showing me that even if I don't believe in myself, that y'all believe in me... Thank you for being my friends. You all made me feel like I was home. See you on the flip side :)."
No matter the case, we'll definitely miss Josh!
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
