"Elvis would be proud"— American Idol fans react to John Foster's rendition of Jailhouse Rock

American Idol season 23's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame special, aka episode 13, aired on Sunday, April 27, 2025. The segment saw the Top 14 perform iconic rock songs from Hall of Famers, including John Foster, who performed Jailhouse Rock by the legendary Elvis Presley.

His performance was praised by the judges, and as he was on stage, the American Idol season 23 contestant also revealed that his mother was such a big fan of the singer that she named his younger sister, Presley.

Fans of the singing reality show also commented on several contestants' performances online, and one of the people they praised was John Foster. One X user wrote:

"Awesome! Hope he takes it all! Great job John! Elvis would be proud. You’ve got that Dwight Yoakam going on and a great complement to him. Would love to hear you both together."

"My nana passed away on Wednesday and John was her pick to win the show. Him doing an Elvis song (my nana’s all time favorite artist) was really cool to see. He killed the vocal too. My nana would be texting me right now about how good he did," a fan commented.

"I was always ask myself when I see watch these performances – Would I pay money to see them? And every single week I say yes to John. He’s gonna win this thing!" a tweet read.

Fans of American Idol season 23 called John Foster a star:

"John Foster is on my shortlist.. That kid, win or lose, is going to have top selling Country albums. He's a star!" a person wrote.

"YES! @carrieunderwood said exactly what I did.... John really reminds me of Dwight Yoakum! I LOVE IT! Hard to do an Elvis song without coming off as campy, but he did it!" a fan commented.

"Flawless, wow, I mean, voice quality, this young man win or lose has a great big thing ahead. He is a born star," a tweet read.

Fans of American Idol season 23 also noted:

"Carrie pretty much said what I was thinking. John is a mix of Dwight Yoakum and John Denver," a person wrote.

"Best of the night! He’s the whole package of America Idol! He’s so many Country Stars rolled into one! John Foster Finale bound!" a fan commented.

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"That boy knows what he's doing"— Lionel Richie praises John Foster's rendition of Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley in American Idol seaon 23's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame special

During American Idol season 23's Sunday episode, which honored the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, the singers were tasked with singing iconic rock songs to make it to the Top 12.

John Foster sang Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley, and by the end of his performance, the judges and his fellow contestants sat up to show their appreciation of John's performance. Luke Bryan was the first judge to speak up about the rendition and said, "Wow."

The American Idol season 23 judge told John Foster he was "very proud" of his performance and told that it "exactly" what John wanted. He added that it wasn't like Elvis, it was the singer "doing Elvis." Luke further said that it was "very comfortable" watching him perform and complimented the singer on his "low moment" and called it wonderful.

American Idol season 23 judge Lionel Richie went next and also praised the singer. He said that he knew that John was in the zone. He further praised the singer for being comfortable, and said it made the performance more "believable" for them.

"I said, that boy knows what he's doing," Lionel added.

Carrie Underwood commented on John Foster's performance and said that the singer picked a "great" song to sing. She added that he made it his own and that she felt like she was watching Dwight Yoakam on stage.

Fans online shared their honest thoughts about John Foster's performance and praised the contestant's rendition of the Elvis Presley song.

Tune in on Sundays and Mondays at 8 pm ET to watch new episodes of American Idol season 23 on ABC.