‘American Idol’ Sunday and Monday ‘Disney’ Nights Tower Over the Competition

“American Idol” celebrated Disney music on Sunday, May 11, and Monday, May 12, growing week to week both nights, and towering over the competition as the iconic show heads toward its season eight finale Sunday, May 18, on ABC.

Sunday, May 11 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT)

• Sunday’s episode of “American Idol” earned 5.27 million Total Viewers and a 0.62 rating in Adults 18-49, growing over the previous week in both Total Viewers (+2%; vs. 5.18 million) and Adults 18-49 (+9%; vs. 0.57 rating).
• Featuring special guest Lin-Manuel Miranda, “American Idol” stood as the No. 1 entertainment show of the night in the key Adult demo for the second week in a row, leading its closest competition from 8-10 p.m. (CBS’ “Tracker” and “Watson”) by +68% (0.62 rating vs. 0.37 rating).
• The show’s strong performance also pushed ABC to a win for the night among the broadcast networks in Adults 18-49, leading second-place CBS by +53% (0.49 rating vs. 0.32 rating).

Monday, May 12 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT)

• “American Idol” continued Disney night celebrations on Monday night earning 4.45 million Total Viewers and a 0.43 rating among Adults 18-49, growing over the previous week in both Total Viewers (+4%; vs. 4.28 million) and Adults 18-49 (+10%; vs. 0.39 rating), and finishing as the No. 1 entertainment program of the night in both demographics.
• During its run on the night, “American Idol” ranked as Monday’s No. 1 entertainment program on all of broadcast and cable among Adults 18-49, taking the top spot in all seven of its Monday airings this season.
• Head-to-head from 8-10 p.m., “American Idol” once again led its closest competition, NBC’s “The Voice,” by double digits in Total Viewers (+35% – 4.45 million vs. 3.30 million) and triple digits in Adults 18-49 (+105% – 0.43 rating vs. 0.21 rating). Further, “American Idol” posted its largest Monday margins of the season in both Total Viewers and Adults 18-49, based on original, two-hour head-to-head airings.
• As the contestants battled it out for the final time before meeting at the season finale, the show’s strong Monday performance pushed ABC to a win for the night among the broadcast networks in both Total Viewers (3.47 million) and Adults 18-49 (0.33 rating).

Source: Nielsen Live+Same Day Ratings for 5/11/25 and 5/12/25, or as dated.

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Leslie Schwartz
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