Jamal Roberts has booked a major post-American Idol gig! The Season 23 winner will be singing the National Anthem at the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 19. Before the Miami Hurricanes take on the Indiana Hoosiers, Roberts will be kicking things off with a patriotic performance.
It’s been less than a year since Roberts beat John Foster to be crowned the winner of American Idol. Scroll down for updates on what he’s been up to in the time since his May 2025 victory.
What is Jamal Roberts doing now?
Roberts is keeping busy with his music career. In the fall of 2025, he was one of the opening acts on Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine” tour. He released his debut single, “Heal,” after performing it during the Idol finale, followed by a duet, “Still,” with Jonathan McReynolds and his follow-up single, “Nothing Compares.”
Roberts and McReynolds received a Grammy nomination for Best Gospel Performance Song for “Still.”
But despite his busy schedule, Roberts actually went back to work in his job as a teacher after winning Idol. “I’m a physical education teacher in Meridian, Mississippi. I love the kids, that’s why I went back,” he said on The Jennifer Hudson Show in October 2025.
Does Jamal Roberts have a wife?
No, Roberts does not have a wife. He is a father to three daughters, Harmoni, Lyrik, and Gianna. Gianna was born amid his time on American Idol, and unfortunately, he had to miss her birth for one of the live shows in the singing competition.
Roberts confirmed in various interviews after American Idol that he is “not married.” He also clarified his relationship status on The Morning Hustle radio show in May 2025, telling the hosts, “I am very much single. Very much single.” Roberts confirmed that his daughters have different mothers as well.
“I have no problems [with the mothers of my children],” he said. “They don’t question me about anything. I’m always there for my kids, anytime they need something. It does not matter.”
During an Instagram Live, Roberts opened up about why he hasn’t walked down the aisle. “That’s why so many marriages fail … because y’all are running and getting married to seasonal people. … Y’all are getting married to people who look good on the outside but you don’t even know how they react to all the seasons of their life,” he shared.
As for when he’s going to get married himself, he said, “When the time is right.” Someone also asked why he had children with the mothers of his babies, and he admitted, “Because I was young and shacking up.”
What happened between Jamal Roberts and Carrie Underwood?
During Roberts’ time on Idol, fans felt like Carrie Underwood, who was a first-time judge in Season 23, favored other contestants over the gospel singer. During his audition, Underwood urged Roberts to “loosen up” and find his “swagger.” Then, throughout the season, fans felt like Underwood was harder on Roberts than some of the other finalists.
Roberts responded to the situation a few weeks after the competition ended. “Carrie is a country singer and she likes country music,” he said at the BET Awards. “I mean, I don’t think she likes every genre, for real. She had her picks, and she had her [choice] of who she really liked, and she stuck with it.”
He was seemingly referring to Foster, the Season 23 runner-up who sang country music. Roberts continued, “We applaud her for sticking to her roots and sticking to who she liked, but I feel like the better person won.”
Despite the rumored tension, Underwood congratulated Roberts on his win, writing on Instagram, “Congratulations to the newest winner of @americanidol !!! I’m so proud of @officialjamalroberts and all he has accomplished this season and I can’t wait to see what mountains he climbs next! He’s going to do great things!”
College Football Playoff National Championship, Monday, January 19, 7:30/6:30c, ESPN
