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Season 24 of American Idol premiered in early 2026 with hundreds of auditions, but now, there are just three singers are left: Hannah Harper, Jordan McCullough and Keyla Richardson.

The season finale not only feature performances from the top three singers, but will also showcase a wide range of special guests, including Alicia Keys, Brad Paisley, Nelly, Tori Kelly, Jason Mraz, En Vogue, Clay Aiken and others. Additionally, the three American Idol judges, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie, are set to perform together during the season finale.

How to Watch American Idol Season 24 Finale, At a Glance:

When Is the American Idol Season 24 Finale?

The American Idol season finale airs live coast-to-coast on Monday (May 11), with a start time of 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. It’s a three-hour TV event, so the winner won’t be announced until around 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

How to Watch the American Idol Season 24 Finale Online for Free

For the season finale of American Idol, the reality competition TV series broadcasts on ABC, as well as livestreams on DirecTV.

If you have access to live channels, through cable, streaming or satellite, check your local listings for channel information. Fans who don’t have cable can stream ABC and other live channel on streaming platforms, such as Fubo, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV and others.

You can livestream American Idol with DirecTV, which includes ABC. The streaming service offers “Choice” in their signature streaming package with more than 125 live channels. For a limited time, new subscribers can join DirecTV for just $84.99 per month for the first 24 months of service (reg. $94.99 per month). Sign up for a five-day free trial to start watching now.

A subscription to Sling Blue, which comes with ABC for American Idol, gets you access to live TV, local and cable channels. You can watch local networks such as NBC and FOX (in select markets), while you can watch many cable networks too. Please note: Prices and channel availability depends on your local TV market. You can learn more about Sling TV here.

For $48.99 per month for the first month of service, Fubo’s “Pro” plan is a cable alternative streaming service that offers the American Idol season finale broadcast on ABC. It features more than 200 other channels, including NBC, CBS, FOX, ESPN, MTV, VH1, CMT and others. Fubo comes with a five-day free trial, so you can try out the service before you commit month-to-month.

If you don’t have a Hulu + Live TV subscription, the streamer offers a free trial that’ll get you your first three days free to access ABC for American Idol. Once the free trial is over, you’ll be charged the regular subscription fee starting at $89.99 per month.

Meanwhile, the American Idol season finale drops the next-day on Hulu and Disney+ starting on Tuesday, May 12.

Want more? For more product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best Xbox deals, studio headphones and Nintendo Switch accessories.

Britney Spears made her first public statement since a March DUI arrest resulted in a stay in a rehab facility. Though she did not specifically reference the case or her time in treatment, Spears, 44, was back on Instagram on Saturday (May 10) with a post alluding to recent headlines.

It opened with a story about going to a pet store with her kids to look at a baby snake — with a shot of a beautiful albino ball python wrapped around someone’s hand — before pivoting into a more personal tone. “Snakes are symbolic of good health, higher consciousness, and pure luck … I’m so damn thankful to my friends and so many new beautiful people I have met through my spiritual journey,” Spears said without going into detail about her journey.

“all a blessing in disguise,” she continued. “I still have to learn how to be kind to myself and the way I speak to myself… It’s a never ending journey and sometimes I just stop, look up and say wow God I think that was you and smile on!!!!”

TMZ reported last week that Spears recently left a rehab facility in Maine after spending around three weeks there following a probation sentence stemming from her plea deal in the March 4 DUI arrest Ventura County, Calif.

Spears got a year-long probation sentence on May 4 after pleading guilty through her attorney to a misdemeanor charge known as “wet reckless,” which is a downgrade from the more severe count of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol due to her low blood alcohol level and lack of a prior DUI history. According to the Associated Press, a prosecutor stated during the hearing that Spears had taken “full responsibility” for the incident. During her year of probation, Spears will have to participate in a DUI education program and continue regular therapy and psychiatry; Spears did not appear in court for the hearing.

Spears was arrested on March 4 after the California Highway Patrol found her driving “erratically at a high rate of speed on southbound US-101.” At the time, her reps called the arrest an “unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable,” adding that “Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life.”

The next month, the singer voluntarily checked herself into a treatment facility.

Singer Keli Holiday says he was denied re-entry into the United States during his North American tour, forcing him to cancel a planned New York City performance and return home early.

The Australian artist — the solo project of Adam Hyde from Peking Duk — shared the news with fans over the weekend after being detained at the U.S.-Canada border following shows in Toronto.

“Unfortunately I’m not going to make it to tonight’s show at Baby’s All Right in NYC,” Holiday wrote on Instagram. “I have spent all day detained at the Canadian border and denied entry back into the U.S. despite having the proper visa documentation in place.”

“I’m still trying to get clarity on the situation myself,” he added.

Holiday had been scheduled to play a short run of North American dates between May 1 and May 7, with the Brooklyn show set to close out the tour. A representative later confirmed he had since returned to Australia ahead of upcoming dates across New South Wales and Victoria.

The incident comes at a time of growing concern around U.S. border processing and visa scrutiny for international travelers and touring artists. Proposed changes tied to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) program have sparked discussion in Australia and New Zealand over stricter entry requirements and expanded screening measures.

Hyde launched Keli Holiday in 2021 as a more personal and indie-leaning counterpart to Peking Duk, the chart-successful electronic act he formed with Reuben Styles. Peking Duk broke through with hits including “High” featuring Nicole Millar, which reached the top five on the ARIA Singles Chart and helped establish the duo as one of Australia’s biggest electronic acts of the 2010s.

As previously reported, Holiday is the highest-flying homegrown artist on the latest ARIA Albums Chart with Capital Fiction, his second collection, which opens its account at No. 3. As a member of Peking Duk, he peaked at No. 12 with 2018’s Reprisal.

Capital Fiction houses the cut “Dancing2,” which recounts the story of how Hyde met his partner and love of his life, Sydney media personality Abbie Chatfield. The single came in at No. 2 on triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown for 2025, won for best video at the last year’s ARIA Awards, and Holiday performed it at the top of the recording industry’s annual ceremony.

Under the Keli Holiday name, Hyde has moved toward a moodier mix of indie-pop, dance and alternative music, releasing tracks including “Dancing2” while building a dedicated following through club shows and festival appearances.

Fans flooded Holiday’s comments with support after the canceled New York show was announced, with many urging him to reschedule the date once the visa issue is resolved.

When NBA YoungBoy announced he was dropping out of his headlining slot at Rolling Loud Orlando on Thursday (May 7), festival organizers were left scrambling. Artists like Rod Wave and YEAT were speculated to be floated, but RL ultimately settled on Ken Carson to close out Sunday night (May 10).

On its face, the decision made sense with fellow Opium titans Destroy Lonely and Playboi Carti performing on Saturday (May 9), so much of the label’s fanbase was already going to be on festival grounds for the weekend.

Carson, whose More Chaos topped the Billboard 200 last year, continued his elevation by taking advantage of the real estate using his newfound headlining Rolling Loud set to kick-start The Xperiment era.

The Atlanta native hit the smoky stage around 9 p.m. ET and premiered an unreleased track, which is expected to appear on his upcoming LP, that had the crowd going berserk and chanting along to the rage-filled production.

The 26-year-old kept the energy up, jumping around his catalog for the first 13 songs or so, which included the anticipated unreleased snippet “Grow Apart,” but understood the assignment as a headliner looking to make a statement to hip-hop and invite other fans who may not be as familiar with his discography.

Enter some star-studded guests, the first being Lil Tecca. The “Dark Thoughts” rapper was a seamless fit and was more than worthy of having his own set at the main stage this year, coming off a major 2025. The duo joined forces for “Tic Tac Toe” and “500lbs.”

Fellow Opium runningmate Destroy Lonely was next up in the lineup, as they connected for “The Acronym” and “Singapore,” the latter of which was without their mentor Playboi Carti. “That’s my song, too,” he quipped from backstage while watching his pupils.

Young Thug was all over Rolling Loud throughout the weekend and he didn’t even have his own set. Billboard spotted Thug enjoying some Popeyes near the festival earlier in the weekend. He popped out once again for Ken Carson, while they performed his UY SCUTI standout “Yuck” and then Thugger took the solo spotlight to revv up the crowd for his “Digits” classic.

Young Thug pops out to perform “Digits” during Ken Carson’s Rolling Loud set. pic.twitter.com/M7fntl63EU

— billboard hip-hop/r&b (@billboardhiphop) May 11, 2026

Some might say they save the best for last, and Playboi Carti batted clean-up in the all-star guest line-up. He traded his YSL suit look for a 2Pac t-shirt, leather pants, and a pair of crispy white high-top Air Force Ones.

The 00 connection premiered a pair of collaborations, including the bouncy “ARP,” which finds Carti utilizing his deep voice flow, while “Cover My Ears” leans into the Whole Lotta Red-esque production that’s been a mainstay for the rock stars.

Ken Carson brings out Playboi Carti during his set at Rolling Loud Orlando pic.twitter.com/zXWRrSc7rW

— billboard hip-hop/r&b (@billboardhiphop) May 11, 2026

Carson teased mere seconds-long snippets of unreleased grails “Boil” and “Stars” before finishing off his potent set with another new song, which is heavily influenced by 2hollis’ “Girl.” One poignant bar found KC getting vulnerable about critics boxing him into one genre. “No matter what I make, they gon’ call it rage,” he raps.

As the dust settled on another successful Rolling Loud weekend, one fan emerged from the moshpit warfare, lending his stamp of approval. “That was the greatest set of my life,” he said to a friend while coming down from a euphoric high.

Ken Carson performs an unreleased song that’s influenced by 2hollis’ “Girl” to close out his Rolling Loud set. pic.twitter.com/7lQ6AEbf1R

— billboard hip-hop/r&b (@billboardhiphop) May 11, 2026

Ken Carson notched his first No. 1 album last year and his recent tour stops across the globe have looked bonkers. If he plays his cards right heading into The Xperiment, rap could have another niche superstar on its hands that the mainstream won’t be able to ignore.