"Plz stop voting for him"— American Idol fans react to Josh King's rendition of Rolling in the Deep by Adele
American Idol season 23 aired a new episode this week on Sunday, May 4, 2025. The episode saw the Top 10 take to the stage once again as Miranda Lambert served as a guest mentor to help guide the singers to better themselves in front of the judges.
This included Josh King, who sang Rolling in the Deep by Adele, which earned him a standing ovation from the judges and a huge round of applause from the studio audience. However, fans online had a different opinion and were divided by Josh's latest performance.
"Do y’all feel sorry for Josh or something?? Plz stop voting for him," one person wrote on X.
"Josh has to go home tonight. It’s time. Vocally , he is just not on par with the rest," a fan commented.
That damn harmonica was the best part of the performance. Yall can stop with the sympathy votes for Josh now. Adele should roll up on him for that," a tweet read.
Some fans of American Idol season 23 praised Josh's performance:
"This was my favorite Josh performance BY FAR I feel like this definitely took him out of that underdog territory. this had everything," a person wrote.
"He’s incredibly talented. A cross between Billy Joel, Elton John, and Michael Buble," a fan commented.
"OMG, WHAT AN AMAZING PERFORMANCE LOVED IT AND VOTED. He's one of my favorites," a tweet read.
Fans of American Idol season 23 further said:
"Not great. Had much better performances. This was over the top pageantry. He was hanging on by a thread, I don't think he makes it," a person wrote.
"i liked josh at his audition but i'm baffled by him still being here at this point in the lives. he's just a very chaotic performer and not the greatest of vocalists," a fan commented.
"You ran around the circle"— Lionel Richie shares what he loved the most about Josh King's rendition of Rolling in the Deep on American Idol season 23's Ladies Night
During American Idol season 23 episode 15, Josh King took to the stage with Adele's Rolling in the Deep by Adele. Ahead of his performance, he met with Miranda Lambert and explained that his musical background was Blues.
In a confessional, Josh noted that although the song wasn't in the same genre, it was inspired by and "heavily rooted" in it, and he wanted to tap into that history.
Miranda commented on Josh's personality, and called him a "quirky kid" who was all over the place. She said that the American Idol season 23 contestant was trying to do too much and urged him to change up the arrangement a bit. She gave him a few more notes about his upcoming performance and told the cameras he had his "own thing going."
On the main stage, the American Idol season 23 contestant started his performance on the piano, followed by incorporating the harmonica as he moved around the stage. At the end of the song, the judges and Josh's fellow contestants were up on their feet in appreciation, and the judges told him to "shake it out."
Lionel Richie was the first person to share his feedback about the American Idol season 23 star's performance and told him to "chill out." He noted that he had started with the piano, but when he grabbed the harmonica, the judge thought to himself that Adele couldn't do that.
"And then you did one thing that I loved the most — you ran around the circle and you gathered – you found that audience and you brought them to you," Lionel added.
Carrie and Luke also praised Josh's performance, however, fans online were divided by it. While some praised the singer, others felt he was not that great.
Episodes of American Idol season 23 air every Sunday and Monday at 8 pm ET on ABC.
