A singer who made it all the way to the finale of “The Voice” as a 16-year-old has now been eliminated on “American Idol.”
But the elimination likely went unnoticed for many viewers, because Jacquie Lee only got roughly 45 seconds of airtime during her entire run this season.
Jacquie Lee is eliminated on ‘American Idol’
It’s been 13 years since Jacquie Lee made an impressive run on “The Voice” that started with a performance of Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black” that landed her on Christina Aguilera’s team.
The then-teenager from New Jersey ended up becoming the Season 5 runner-up, behind Jamaican artist Tessanne Chin.
Now, after more than a decade of releasing EPs, Lee once again returned to the reality singing competition space.
The singer tried out for this season of “American Idol” with a jazz-infused rendition of “I Put a Spell on You” — a song she also performed during her time on “The Voice.”
“American Idol” didn’t air the full audition, but instead showed a 45-second clip that features the end of Lee’s performance and the singer receiving a golden ticket to the Hollywood round.
“You have a bring-the-house-down voice,” “Idol” judge Lionel Richie said. “I’m already standing up. It’s a yes for me.”
Lee’s next performance came during the Hollywood Week round — but viewers didn’t get to see it. Although her performance was cut from the show, the singer did advance to the top 30 round.
During Monday night’s top 30 episode, which was filmed in Hawaii, “Idol” once again cut out Lee’s performance.
And now, as “Idol” has revealed its top 20, Lee is officially out of the competition — meaning she got less than a minute of airtime on the show.
While she wasn’t featured much on “Idol,” Lee has actively been sharing her music on social media. The singer recently submitted an entry for NPR’s 2026 Tiny Desk contest.
‘The Voice’/‘American Idol’ crossover
Although she didn’t get much airtime, “American Idol” allowing Lee, a “Voice” runner-up, to compete this season drew some backlash from fans, as Wide Open Country reported.
But this is far from the first time there’s been a crossover between “The Voice” and “American Idol.”
This season alone featured contestant Mor Ilderton, another former “Voice” singer who unexpectedly dropped out of “The Voice” competition just a year and a half ago, as the Deseret News reported.
The previous season of “Idol” featured Thunderstorm Artis, who finished third on “The Voice” in 2020; and Victor Solomon, who was a “Voice” finalist in 2021.
Solomon previously spoke with the Deseret News about his decision to compete on “Idol” after appearing on “The Voice,” sharing how hard it can be to maintain the momentum from a reality competition show.
“You go from millions of viewers like every week and then all of a sudden … I don’t want to say nobody’s watching, you have your followers, but it’s nowhere near close to 6 million viewers every week,” Solomon previously told the Deseret News.
“That’s the work that comes with it, you know, keeping your name alive, keeping your presence alive, and keeping your music alive.”