The Top 20 of “American Idol” Season 24 have officially been revealed following the first-ever “Ohana” Round, which saw a third of the singing competition’s contestants eliminated in one fell swoop.
Monday’s (Mar. 9) episode saw a “select group of influencers and music experts and industry experts” helped the judging panel (Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan & Lionel Richie) identify the Top 20 singers of the season. Next week, the remaining contestants will begin their training sessions with this year’s celebrity mentors – Keke Palmer and Brad Paisley – before the live shows kick off later this month.
Palmer and Paisley – who will appear on “American Idol” on Monday, March 16 and Monday, March 23 – join a long list of celebrity vocal coaches who’ve lent their talents to the longrunning singing competition over the years, which has previously included names like Josh Groban, Ashanti, Jelly Roll and Tori Kelly.
Speaking to Billboard in the hours after this week’s mentoring sessions, which took place at Disney’s Aulani resort in Ko Olina, Hawaii, Palmer opened up about the powerful experience, as well as reflecting on her own personal connection to the “American Idol” franchise.
Keke Palmer Reflects on Her Connection to ‘American Idol’
Getty“I grew up watching [‘American Idol’] – since I was a kid,” said Keke Palmer, now 32. “I remember many of the fan favorites, especially the first five to 10 seasons. I remember watching Fantasia win. I remember watching Carrie Underwood. I remember watching Kelly Clarkson. I remember my favorite, Bo Bice. Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken, Adam Lambert and Ruben Studdard. I really loved watching it because it was one of the best things you could watch as a kid with your family. We all got together, sat together and watched and just loved the show.”
In addition to being a fan of the reality franchise, Palmer similarly competed on its short-lived, youth-oriented spin-off series, “American Juniors,” in 2003.
“Between season two and three of ‘Idol,’ they had ‘American Juniors,’” she continued. “They came to Schaumburg, Illinois. I’m from Illinois and I auditioned and I got my Golden Ticket and I went to California.”
“My mom always said that it was during that competition that she saw that I had what it took because they put us through a lot,” Palmer added. “They put us in dancing and voice lessons. It’s a very rigorous competition. People watch the show and see a portion of it. But what the people at ‘Idol’ go through in order to get on the stage and how they have to be prepped, it’s like a sport. So my mother said when she watched me during that competition, she felt I was able to withstand what it would take to be good or be in this industry.”
Inside Keke Palmer’s 20-Year-Long Singing & Acting Career
GettyWhile Keke didn’t make it past the competition’s Hollywood Round, just three years later she starred in her breakout role “Akeelah and the Bee” before becoming a Nickelodeon mainstay as the lead actress in “True Jackson, VP.”
Her career on screen has similarly featured appearances in films and TV shows like Tyler Perry’s “Madea” franchise, Disney’s “Jump In!,” Ryan Murphy’s “Scream Queens,” Jordan Peele’s “Nope” and more.
Though Palmer’s acting career has since seen her nominated for several NAACP Image Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards and more, she’s continued singing as well, releasing her debut album “So Uncool” with Atlantic Records in 2007.
She’s since expanded her discography with follow-up albums like “Awaken” (2011), “Waited to Exhale” (2016), “Virgo Tendencies” (2020) and “Big Boss” (2023). In 2025, Palmer released her latest album, “Just Keke,” alongside her latest EP, “DivaGurl: A Story By Kele Palmer.”
For Keke, Returning to ‘American Idol’ was an ‘Immediate Yes’
When she was offered the chance to return to her roots as a mentor on Season 24 of “American Idol,” however, Keke told Billboard, “It was an immediate yes.”
“It was an honor,” she added. “When you think of American television, you think about ‘American Idol.’ As a fan of pop culture and culture in general, I loved ‘American Idol’ and know what it did to the music industry, what it did for television and what it meant to be able to live your dreams.”
Palmer Reveals She Cried (Twice) While Mentoring Season 24 Contestants
GettySpeaking specifically about her experience mentoring the Top 20 contestants alongside country music superstar Brad Paisley, Palmer revealed, “It reminded me again that the show has been going on for 24 years, because we live in such a big world, and a lot of times we have so many artists that we know and that we love, famous entertainers – but when you watch this show, you realize that there’s so many great singers that you won’t meet, and that you maybe never got a chance to meet and that you maybe never will meet. And so there’s something very special about finding these people that live in this small town that have the most angelic voices.”
“I cried twice watching a contestant,” she continued, though she didn’t reveal which of the Top 20 voices brought her to tears. “Rhythm and music, even without language, hearing someone’s tone is very spiritual to me – and when you see somebody truly surrendering to that, it’s very special. I’ve seen a lot of great voices, but there were a couple of people I saw that they were out of their bodies when they performed. That they were truly just leaning into their gift, and it’s really magical to see that.”
Keke Palmer will appear alongside Brad Paisley as the “American Idol” Season 24 celebrity mentors on Monday, March 16 at 8:00pm ET on ABC. The singing competition will also be available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu the following day.
