"I love you all" - Baylee Littrell reacts to missing American Idol’s Top 14

American Idol episode on April 21, 2025, saw an elimination of 6 candidates from the Top 20. Among them was Baylee Littrell, the son of Brian Littrell, a member of the established Backstreet Boys band.

Following his elimination, Brian took to his Instagram to express his feelings about the whole ordeal and say goodbye to the fans who have supported him till this point in time.

The Monday episode saw the judges shortlisting the Top 14 contestants, and Baylee did not make the list. These eliminations happened a day after the Easter special episode, which aired on Sunday.

Baylee was appreciated for his performance on the song, 'Gine Without Goodbye,' which was written by his father from the solo album called Welcome Home.

The song represents the victims of 9/11 and how much of a tragic loss it was for America at the time. Talking to Ryan Seacrest, the American Idol host, Baylee said that the songs meant a "great deal to us."

It was because his mother was supposed to be on the second flight that had hit the World Trade Center in New York, 2001. However, he feels that the family was very lucky and thus, this "emotional song" was created. He was thankful that he got to sing it on the American Idol stage.

Taking to his Instagram following his exit from American Idol, Baylee wrote,

"My American Idol journey has come to an end💙 Thank you so much to all that supported me this season🙏🏼 I love you all 🙌🏼 #idol #bayleetrain"

American Idol contestant Baylee Litrell gets eliminated

Brian Littrell has been eliminated from American Idol, however, this might not be the end of the story for him. Judge Lionel Richie, while interviewing with ET, talked about how it is a huge feat to make it to the Top 20, and this would give him ample opportunities in the industry to move forward and establish a career.

The judge was asked if he had offended the Backstreet Boys by eliminating Brian's son, Lionel said.

"No, no, no, no, no, listen, listen, thank god, and by the way, we love the show. There's a thing now called the real, and the father knows this more than anybody, what this represents. It's not about the talent anymore, it's about the timing.

He explained by adding,

When you have a class like this, it's one of those unforgivable things where .. I mean, back when I started, you got James Brown, you got everybody in front of you, how do you get in? From this point, you have a career. You were in the Top 20, you got a career. How do you navigate? And because he has a history in the family, you'll be just fine."

Baylee's mom and dad, Brian and Leighanne, were in the audience during the live Easter episode, where they were seen shedding a tear or two with a proud look on their face. Carrie Underwood appreciated his performance and said she would love to hear more of his "powerful voice."

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American Idol season 23 episodes can be watched weekly on Sundays and Mondays at 8 PM Eastern Time on ABC. Later, the episodes are available to stream via Hulu.

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