‘American Idol’ Season Eight Finishes on High Note With Best Total Viewer Audience in Two Years

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• American Idol” wrapped its momentous season eight on ABC Sunday night with 6.51 million Total Viewers, rising over the previous week (+24%; vs. 5.27 million) to score the show’s most-watched telecast in two years – since 5/21/23.
• In addition, “American Idol” earned a 0.72 rating among Adults 18-49, rising over the previous week (+16%; vs. 0.62 rating) to deliver its best performance in the key Adult demo since the show’s post-Oscars® season premiere – since 3/2/25.
• The “American Idol” season eight finale, in which 27-year-old Meridian, Mississippi gym teacher Jamal Roberts was crowned champion, stood as the 1 program of the night in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49. In fact, the show was the No. 1 program of the week during primetime in Total Viewers.
• The “American Idol” season eight finale improved on the show’s season seven finale(5/19/24) by double digits in both Total Viewers (+16% – 6.51 million vs. 5.60 million) and Adults 18-49 (+14% – 0.72 rating vs. 0.63 rating).
• The finale also performed substantially above the season eight average in both Total Viewers (+36% – 6.51 million vs. 4.79 million) and Adults 18-49 (+38% – 0.72 rating vs. 0.52 rating).
• The show’s strong performance pushed ABC to a win for the night in both Total Viewers (5.90 million) and Adults 18-49 (0.65 rating).
• Sunday’s “American Idol” finale set a new voting record on ABC, with over 26 million votes cast for the finalists.
• The show also surged past its own social record from last season, garnering 2.54 million total social interactions during the epic finale, becoming the No. 1 most social reality series and No. 1 most social episode of any primetime broadcast series year to date.

Source: Nielsen Live+Same Day Ratings for 5/18/25, or as dated. Talkwalker SCR.

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Leslie Schwartz
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