After a whirlwind week of rehearsals, visiting Disneyland Resort, and being mentored by EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson, it’s time for the Top 9 “American Idol” of 2026 to be narrowed down to the Top 7. That means two more singers have to go home tonight, after viewers cast their votes during the two-hour live episode.
The show’s popular Disney Night kicked off at 8 p.m. Eastern time, with ABC promising epic performances of Disney classics by the contestants, and Hudson took her place at the judges’ panel as a guest judge alongside Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood. She hasn’t been on the show since a performance in 2015, and it’s been 22 years since she was a contestant — but like Underwood, she remembers exactly how it felt to be singing for her life.
Who’s Left on ‘American Idol’ 2026 & What Disney Songs Did They Choose?
DisneyFor Disney Night, each of the final nine contestants had a mentorship session with Hudson, who is one of the most successful “American Idol” alumni, having made it to the Top 6 in 2004. All nine contestants chose a classic Disney song to perform — here’s what they selected:
- Braden Rumfelt — “Remember Me” from “Coco”
- Brooks Rosser — “The Climb” from “Hannah Montana: The Movie”
- Chris Tungseth — “Let It Go” from “Frozen”
- Daniel Stallworth — “A Whole New World” from “Aladdin”
- Hannah Haprer — “Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog”
- Jordan McCollough — “Colors of the Wind” from “Pocahontas”
- Keyla Richardson — “Circle of Life” from “The Lion King”
- Kyndal Inskeep — “Butterfly Fly Away” from “Hannah Montana: The Movie”
- Lucas Leon — “Life Is A Highway” from “Cars”
Voting began as soon as the show began at 8 p.m. Eastern time, and was slated to close during the final commercial break. Need a refresher course on how to vote this year? Find our guide here.
Who Got Eliminated From the ‘American Idol’ Top 9?
DisneyAs soon as host Ryan Seacrest announces who got through and which two contestants were eliminated from the competition, we’ll have the results here, so keep checking back! In the meantime, you can follow along with tonight’s episode as we cover it live.
