Four months after classic country crooner John Foster landed in the top two on season 23 of “American Idol,” he got to reunite with one of the superstars who helped get him there.
On September 12, 2025, Foster, 19, performed on Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry stage before Opry member Carrie Underwood, who cheered him on and shared how “proud” she was of him on social media.
Carrie Underwood Sweetly Watched John Foster Perform From the Side of the Grand Ole Opry Stage
Foster, who was runner-up to R&B singer Jamal Roberts in May’s season 23 finale, has received multiple invitations to perform at the Grand Ole Opry since his first appearance there on June 7.
He didn’t appear on the official lineup for the September 12 concert that Underwood headlined, but she posted photos and video in her Instagram Stories as she watched him perform from backstage, and the “American Idol” social media team posted a pic of them posing together.
In Underwood’s Instagram Stories, she shared brief videos of Foster performing, which she took while standing to the side of the stage, out of the crowd’s view. Over one, she wrote, “Look who I found at the @opry !!!”
Over another video of Underwood watching him from backstage, she wrote, “So proud of him!”
The country superstar, who got her start by winning “American Idol” in 2005, also shared the same backstage photo of them together and captioned it, “So great to see @officialjohnfoster and his sweet family at the @opry!”
Foster reshared her Story in his and wrote, “Such a pleasure seeing the great @carrieunderwood!”
Carrie Underwood Will Return to the Opry in October
Like Foster, Underwood made her Grand Ole Opry debut weeks after her “Idol” finale — on June 5, 2005.
That night, 21-year-old Underwood performed a two-song set to “thunderous applause” and, according to the Opry, she said afterwards, “It’s kind of magical. I don’t feel like I deserve this at all.”
She was inducted into the Opry three short years later in 2008. That March, country legend Randy Travis surprised her during one of her Opry performances and invited her to become a member of the Opry — a prestigious honor among country artists. Crying, she teased, “Let me think about it. Yes!”
On September 13, the Opry announced that she’ll return to the circle for four shows across two nights, on October 24 and 25, as part of the venue’s continuing 100th anniversary celebration. She’ll also appear on a re-airing of the Opry’s live anniversary celebration on September 15, airing on NBC at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
