With American Idol’s 2026 season coming to a close, in between performances from the three finalists, some of the show’s fan-favorite faces returned for one final bow.
Throughout season 24, country music star Brad Paisley has played a helping hand, joining early on throughout the Belmont University audition episodes (in his own namesake ballroom at the school, of course) and later returning as a mentor during the Hawaii rounds. His appearance also just so happened to be a dream come true for one of the show’s youngest and most promising voices, Lucas Leon, who admitted to the “Mud On The Tires” singer that he fangirled a little bit.
It was only fitting that the two join forces in a full circle moment, hitting the stage during the night with Paisley’s iconic 2001 hit, “I’m Gonna Miss Her.” While the song certainly has some years on the 18-year-old Gallatin, Tennessee native, he surely did his half of the duet justice.
Paisley also rocked the stage alongside the young vocalist, sounding just as good as the classic early 2000s Brad we all know and love. This live rendition of Paisley’s third number one hit was an undeniable head bobber, with fellow previous contestants swing dancing along in the audience, followed by a deserved standing ovation.
Wrapping things up, Paisley took the stage next to host Ryan Seacrest to sneak in a little promo for his recently announced ongoing project, Tacklebox, which will feature several songs from the vault as well as brand new material. Marking the first “lore” to drop, Paisley dropped the first track, “Fallin'” today, which, if tonight’s performance had you yearning to revisit his old discography, this song will certainly satisfy that craving.