American Idol finalist Keyla Richardson’s mother was disappointed by her daughter’s third-place finish, blaming viewers for robbing her of a victory.
Richardson, a 29-year-old gospel singer from Pensacola, Florida, competed on season 24 of the hit singing competition series. Throughout her time on the show, she consistently impressed the judging panel, made up of Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan.
Despite her best efforts, she was eliminated in the nationwide vote during Monday’s finale. Shortly after the results were announced, Richardson’s mother, Katja, expressed her disapproval on Facebook. “My baby was robbed,” she wrote, per Entertainment Weekly. “She did not fail. She was robbed. I’m sorry. I’m gonna say it.”
For her final performances, Richardson delivered two show-stopping solo renditions of Alicia Keys’s “Un-Thinkable” and Whitney Houston’s “I Love the Lord,” as well as a duet with Jason Mraz of his “I Won’t Give Up.”
Applauding her work all season, Bryan said: “This whole year I just watched you focus with drive and determination.
“We’ve seen you just give it your all for your family and your crew and your people, and you’ve won in our eyes,” he continued. “Just watching you seize every moment has been so inspiring to me. Congratulations, great job.”
Richardson’s elimination paved the way for fellow gospel singer Jordan McCullough, 27, to come in second, while country-bluegrass singer Hannah Harper was crowned the new American Idol.
American Idol champions are chosen by live viewer voting, with the winner determined by the contestant who receives the most votes from the public. Voting takes place via the American Idol website, text messages and on social media. The latter method was recently introduced as a replacement for the dedicated American Idol voting app, which was discontinued ahead of season 24.
Social voting has so far been divisive among fans, with many finding it confusing and unreliable.
To participate in social voting, viewers are asked to “leave a comment below [the pinned voting post] that includes the properly spelled first name of who you’re voting for.” Each fan is limited to 10 votes per finalist and may submit only one name per comment. An explainer video shared on American Idol’s official Facebook page in March also noted that only comments are counted, not replies.
“It gets a little messy,” longtime American Idol fan Alex Rockwell told Rolling Stone of social voting. “The rules weren’t clear, but at the same time, they were too specific.”
