Everyone wanted to know how Jelly Roll was in two places at once.

two individuals posing on a stage one with a colorful background and the other in a dramatic outfit Getty Images

The American Idol finale aired on Sunday night, and, according to Ryan Seacrest, it proved to be “the biggest finale vote in ABC Idol history.” But once the confetti fell from the sky and Jamal Roberts was crowned the winner, viewers were left with one question: Was Jelly Roll really there?

The country music star served as the show’s first “artist in residence,” and he helped mentor the contestants from Hollywood week to the final episode. During the “live” broadcast, he sang alongside Jamal. But, on Sunday night, when the finale was airing, Jelly Roll also happened to be performing a sold-out show at Detroit’s Ford Field. His concert went viral on social media when he brought out Eminem to sing “Lose Yourself” and the audience appropriately lost it.

jamal roberts, jelly roll
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One concertgoer shared a video from the concert on Tik Tok and commented that she’d never heard a louder crowd, but fans hit the comments section to debate Jelly’s whereabouts. One wrote, “How is he live on American idol?” Another said, “I’m going nuts right now, I’m trying to figure out the same thing. How is he live on American idol and at a show in Detroit?” A commenter speculated, “I just remembered there is a 3 hour time difference…they still pulled some Houdini tricks somehow 😂”

Another Tik Toker shared a video of the American Idol broadcast and asked, “How is Jelly at his concert in Detroit bringing out Eminem out but at American Idol in Hollywood live?”

Well, Brianna Nix, who came in third place on the show, hopped in the comments to clear up the confusion. This was not a case of Jelly Roll magic. Rather, she explained, “That performance was prerecorded because he had a show but everything else was live. 🤩”

We’ll consider this mystery solved!