Even if Jesse Findling, a frontrunner on American Idol Season 24, doesn’t win the top prize, he has already come full circle. The talented contestant, who was born with a stutter, advanced into the Top 20 and joined his fellow hopefuls on Monday, March 16, performing at Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa in Hawaii in hopes of earning a spot in the Top 14.
What made the moment even more special was that Findling was able to bring his parents along for the experience. In a pre-recorded segment, he shared that his mom and dad had originally celebrated their honeymoon in Hawaii.
“My family is my biggest support system,” Findling said. “My mom and dad went on their honeymoon here. They’ve always said they were going to come back someday. And for me to be the reason why they are — it makes my heart happy.”
“I had never really stood in front of a mic and performed in front of a whole crowd,” Findling also shared. “But I’m really pushing myself this time to come out of my comfort zone.”
For his performance, Findling chose to sing “You Found Me” by The Fray in hopes of advancing further in the competition. “When I was little, having a stutter made me introverted,” he explained. “There have been times when I’ve felt lost. I was more of a shy kid and kind of anxious.”
But when he took the stage in a black jacket, there was no sign of hesitation.
Findling delivered a powerful and emotional performance, confidently showcasing his soaring vocals while weaving in operatic elements that elevated the song’s dramatic build.
Throughout the performance, mentor Keke Palmer appeared mesmerized, while Findling’s mother, Joy, watched proudly from the audience.
Idol judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie also sat on the edge of their seats as the performance unfolded.
By the time he finished the final note, the audience erupted, chanting his name in unison.
“I think we can just go to the voting right now,” longtime Idol host Ryan Seacrest joked as all four judges rose to their feet.
Palmer was the first to offer feedback.
“In the beginning, those first couple of notes, I said, ‘Now what’s going on?’ I wasn’t sure where we were headed,” she admitted. “Obviously, there are nerves. You’ve been singing and rehearsing, but I saw you find it. As soon as you grabbed that mic and came forward and lost yourself in the song, everything after that was perfection. Very strong, especially that long note.”
Underwood appreciated the vulnerability the moment revealed.
“I, for one, kind of love that the beginning was a little shaky because you’ve been so polished and perfect this whole time,” she said. “It reminded us that you’re human. The way you shook it off and sank into the song — that was the most movement we’ve seen from you, and it was working. It was wonderful. And the end was just absolutely soaring.”
Bryan admitted he was holding his breath during the performance.
“I was on the edge of my seat,” he said. “I was like, ‘All right, Jesse, where you at, baby? Where are you at? There you are. Now I can settle back down.’ I remember having moments on stage where I’d look around and think, ‘Oh my God, how did I get here?’ Those emotions are fun to battle through, and that’s what you did. As the song kept building with the band, you showed us things with your voice that you haven’t shown us yet.”
Richie said he was rooting for the singer the entire time.
“I was praying the whole time,” he said. “Grab the mic, take it out of the stand, command the stage, take charge. And you did it.”
Findling first met fans during his American Idol audition with a performance of Benson Boone’s “In The Stars,” which he dedicated to his brother, who also has a stutter and sings alongside him. The emotional rendition gave the judges goosebumps, with Bryan admitting he “didn’t blink one time” during the performance.
Since then, Findling has continued to showcase his range with performances of Adele’s “Love in the Dark” and Ed Sheeran’s “Photograph.”
Over the next week, the remaining American Idol hopefuls will take the stage at Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa in Hawaii, performing for America’s votes and hoping to secure one of the coveted spots in the Top 14. Along the way, they’ll receive guidance from superstar mentors Brad Paisley and Keke Palmer.
Voting has also gotten a bit of an update this season. Fans can vote in three ways: online at AmericanIdol.com/Vote, through social media (@AmericanIdol) by commenting the first name of the hopeful they want to vote for on the pinned voting post on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, or by text by sending the contestant’s number to 21523.
Fans can vote up to 10 times per contestant per voting method and social platform. Voting begins once the contestant appears on television and closes at 6 a.m. ET on March 17.
American Idol airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC and is available to stream the next day on Hulu.
