"Who keeps voting her through??"— American Idol fans divided by Mattie Pruitt advancing to the Top 8
American Idol season 23 aired its Ladies Night special on Sunday, May 4, 2025, and paid homage to various female singers, including a tribute to mentor Miranda Lambert by Mattie Pruitt.
The season 23 singer sang The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert during the episode, which the judges appreciated. However, fans online felt differently and didn't think she should have made it to the Top 8. One person wrote on X:
"She is TERRIBLE!!! Who keeps voting her through?? That rasp is fake and she is not a good singer!"
"Sorry Mattie. I do like ya but that was not so good. But hey, last week's was rough and ya got thru so, how knows," a fan commented.
"Exactly my question... WHO is voting for her? Worst singer by far and shouldn't have made it through Hollywood. Her screeching voice with the fake rasp hurts my ears," a tweet read.
Some fans of American Idol season 23 praised her performance:
"This girl is great, a wonderful voice and a lot of angel, it's just that being so young and lacking experience she doesn't reach the level of the other participants. She needs to learn, but she has talent and a lot," a person wrote.
"This kid's really something. A diamond in the ruff, perhaps, but hey, she's just 16! She has cool tones like Norah Jones with a country twang. Come back in a few years and she could win this thing!" a fan commented.
"Not everyone likes screaming power singers. I LOVE both Mattie’s tone and rasp and would buy her album before anyone else’s. Millions of others feel the same way. It’s called DIVERSITY," a tweet read.
Fans of American Idol season 23 further said:
"Powerful song. That got me tearing up a bit that was such a beautiful performance. Loved how stripped back it was so that you could really hear her vocals. I think it’s her best performance by far. Mattie is so talented!" a person wrote.
"I'm torn on that Mattie performance. Appreciate the intimacy of it but sometimes I feel a disconnect with her. It's probably an age and experience thing which is understandable. Girls got some fantastic pipes though with that cry in her voice," a fan commented.
Mattie Pruitt gets emotional during her rendition of The House That Built Me on American Idol season 23 episode 15
In American Idol season 23 episode 15, Mattie Pruitt sang The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert as homage to the singer who also served as a mentor during the Ladies' Night special.
As the singer finished her song, she got emotional as she held back tears, and the judges took notice of the same. Lionel Richie was the first judge to offer his feedback and praised Mattie for being able to hold her emotions. He told her that he had so many questions, but said that they felt "every moment" of that performance.
Carrie Underwood, who also had an emotional reaction to the song, said the American Idol season 23 judges were hanging on to every word and note.
"That was really quite brilliant, I think and towards the end, I'm just trying to hold my own tears in so, that was really great, Mattie," she added.
Luke Bryan also praised the American Idol season 23 contestant and said that he thought it was "huge growth" for her as she pushed herself. The panelist also praised Miranda for pushing Mattie to use the guitar and thought it helped her do things "emotionally," which was something the judges hadn't seen before the episode.
Ryan Seacrest asked Miranda Lambert how she felt about Mattie's performance, and the famed singer and American Idol season 23 mentor told the contestant that she "saw" her.
At the end of the episode, it was revealed that Mattie Pruitt was one of the eight contestants who made it to the Top 8. Fans chimed in on the same online and had divided opinions about Mattie's latest performance.
Fans can stream episode 15 of American Idol season 23 on Hulu.
