It was a historic night on American Idol: the show’s first-ever Taylor Swift Night. Contestants have tried their songs before, but Idol has never had an entire show dedicated to the superstar icon’s songbook – which is actually surprising. “We are making history tonight with our musical tribute to the icon Taylor Swift!” announced Ryan Seacrest at the start. “Get ready to shake it off live!”
They brought in one of the most die-hard Swifties as a guest judge: comedy queen Nikki Glaser, who danced onto the stage singing “Opalite”. “I’ve been to 22 Eras Tour concerts,” she announced. “I have no family and I had the money!” Her goal for the evening: “I want to feel something.”
Nothing came of it. Idol simply didn’t seem up to the task. The candidates fought doggedly with the songs. Taylor didn’t show up – a smart move. (She has been a guest on The Voice twice, but never on Idol.) According to Glaser’s social media, a handful of her Eras dancers were said to have been in the room, but nothing was visible on the screen. The whole evening was obviously staged as a big event – and yet it never really got going. This celebration could have been an email.
Half time without Swift
Seacrest promised, “We have a show tonight that will exceed any Swiftie’s wildest dreams!” But bizarrely, they ran out of Swift songs by halftime, and without any warning, the Taylor theme was quietly buried – not even a farewell word, no escape in the getaway car. The second half of the Taylor Swift Night mutated into a homage to the state of California, sponsored by the local tourism office. (Not even the Taylor songs about California were included!) It was a bit strange.
Like many of your fellow citizens, you probably haven’t taken the obligation to watch American Idol too seriously in recent years. So here’s a quick overview: The judges are Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan. Her mission is 100% positivity – pure Paula Abdul energy, without a grain of Simon Cowell salt in any of her shakers. (Carrie learned her lesson earlier in the season when she was booed for a bit of harsh criticism.) There’s no coaching or pro tips, just a numbed stream of “amazing” and “I love you” and “I love how amazing it is to love you.” This is like Project Hail Mary if the only human word Rocky learned was “encouraging words.”
It was bizarre to see Nikki Glaser – a razor-sharp professional entertainer who hosts the Golden Globes – thrown into the deep end of the positivity pool. “I’m used to dishing it out,” she confessed to Seacrest. “I turned off that part of my brain tonight.” When Glaser told contestant Braden Rumfelt that his version of “Cardigan” was “in the pocket,” he replied, “Like Tom Brady?” That seemed like a clever nod to Nikki’s career-defining dishing out at Brady’s 2024 Comedy Central Roast, where she stole the show. (“It’s hard to walk away from something that isn’t your pregnant girlfriend!”)
Glaser as the only Swiftie
But for most of the evening, Glaser seemed to be the only one in the room who knew these songs. Seacrest came out at one point in his “Folklore” cardigan and shouted, “I’m a Swiftie!” But the really human aspect of the evening lay in the singers’ total alienation from the material. Nobody delivered confessions that made you walk into the sunset and ponder what the songs mean to you. Only one of the singers revealed that he also listened to Swift in his private life – Chris Tungseth, a pleasantly shaggy-looking country boy in the style of Bo Bice or Sundance Head. During his high school football days as a middle linebacker, he would get pumped up before games with “Blank Space” in the locker room.
Brooks Rooser sang “Love Story” for his co-star Rae Boyd – the two only announced last week that they were a couple. But America, you are a heartless, cruel little nation. I mean: Idol serves you a real love story? He sings her the Romeo/Juliet song? And you answer him immediately to choose out? Feelless! (Rae was kicked out a few weeks ago for singing “MacArthur Park” – insert your own cake/rain metaphor here.) Hang in there, you two. People throw stones at everything that glitters and life makes love look hard.
The show was an unintentional testament to Swift’s strength as a singer — her timing, her sophistication, her complexity — and watching talented amateurs tackle her repertoire only highlighted how tricky her tunes really are. The candidates were not well prepared, to say the least. Some literally gasped, like Jordan McCullough in “Tim McGraw” or Daniel Stallworth in “Fearless”. Hannah Harper brought out her bluegrass banjo for “Mean,” cleverly hitting the song on its own turf. Chris, the “Blank Space” guy, tackled “Exile” – or, as Seacrest calls it, “the Grammy-nominated indie-folk ballad ‘Exile’.” It was particularly funny and touching to watch the jurors desperately try to keep the praises going. After Keyla Robinson botched “Lover,” missing note after note, Underwood gamely praised “your melodic choices” — that was one way of putting it. “I don’t even recognize this song!” enthused Glaser – and meant it as a compliment. “You brought something new that I couldn’t even imagine!”
If Maroon 5 has to step in
Glaser, like many viewers no doubt, seemed slightly perplexed when the Swift songs dried up and Idol had to fill the rest of the show with California themes. Brooks teased his queen of hearts with an old Maroon 5 hit and declared, “I’m in love, Ryan!” Braden sang one more Maroon 5 hit and explained, “This song is my chance to just have fun.” Dude, you’re 23 and your idea of fun is Maroon 5? Make higher demands on life.
It turned into one of those bleak Idol nights where everyone seems to give up until you start wondering, “Jeez, what’s next – is anyone singing ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’ again?” Tonight it was Jordan’s turn. “I don’t care what you sing,” Carrie Underwood told him. “Every time you open your mouth, I hear the Holy Spirit” – a simply crazy statement to a young man who had just sung a Bonnie Raitt ballad about depressed, medieval alcoholics clinging to each other in a mindless frenzy. (He probably has the best voice this season, but had a much easier time singing Queen’s “Somebody to Love.”)
On the plus side: Keyla did an excellent job with the Etta James ballad “I’d Rather Go Blind,” a 1967 Muscle Shoals classic written and recorded thousands of miles away in California. Hannah sang the Merle Haggard version of a Lefty Frizzell B-side (“That’s the Way Love Goes”), giving the odd impression of a music fan singing songs he really likes – which made her stand out like a foreign object. Chris delivered a surprisingly touching “What Was I Made For?” This was Idol’s attempt at a Taylor Swift night – the highlight being a linebacker singing Billie Eilish.
Abrupt end without farewell
The candidates who were kicked out tonight: Daniel and Brooks. They were shooed off the stage in the final seconds of the credits, without a chance to say a farewell – not even the word “bye.” Just dumped, both visibly confused because the judges had been telling them all night how great they were. (When you’re young, you assume you don’t know anything.) Idol has always been a show with a strong sense of its own history – original judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson return next week. It’s no wonder Idol made such a fuss about its first-ever Taylor Swift night. But the show also left the distinct impression that it might have been the last.
