Lucas Leon Reflects on His ‘American Idol’ Run After Shock Elimination

American Idol standout Lucas Leon’s journey on the show has officially come to an end.

The 18-year-old singer delivered his final performance on Monday during the show’s Disney Night, closing out a run that brought him into the homes of millions and earned him a wave of new fans along the way.

Following his surprising elimination, Leon took to social media to reflect on his time on American Idol, sharing a heartfelt message about the impact the experience had on him.

“First of all, I just wanna say how thankful I am for the whole experience I had with American Idol. I made some amazing friends, learned a lot, and overall had a great time. I’ve discovered a lot about myself as a person and as an artist out here,” he wrote. “Thank you to everyone who voted and supported me along the way.”

Despite the setback, Leon remains optimistic about his future.

“Secondly, y’all haven’t seen nothing yet. I’m so pumped to hit the ground running with everything an artist does and more,” he said. “If you discovered me on American Idol, you’ve only seen a tiny bit of me and I can’t wait for all the new folks to watch me go for gold with everything I do. I can guarantee y’all will see me around.”

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He ended his message by sharing his faith and gratitude for the incredible opportunity.

“Also, praise Jesus for this opportunity! He gave it all for me and for you!”

Leon auditioned for American Idol with an original song titled “Fall In Love Someday,” quickly catching the attention of judge Luke Bryan, who said the young singer reminded him of his son, Bo.

“Oh my gosh. You look like my child. Look at this. Hold on. So I took this picture of Bo the other day… They could be brothers,” Bryan said at the time.

He earned a “yes” from all three judges, advancing to the next round and continuing his run on the competition.

Throughout the season, the Gallatin, Tennessee native performed standout covers including “Georgia On My Mind” by Ray Charles, “The House That Built Me” by Miranda Lambert, and “Just To See You Smile” by Tim McGraw.

For his final performance during Disney Night, Leon took on “Life Is A Highway,” originally recorded by Tom Cochrane and later made popular by Rascal Flatts for Cars.

Leon was eliminated from the competition alongside Kyndal Inskeep.

Hannah Harper, Daniel Stallworth, Keyla Richardson, Jordan McCullough, Chris Tungseth, Brooks Rosser, and Braden Rumfelt advanced to the Top 7 and will return next week for “Taylor Swift Night,” where contestants will perform hits from the superstar’s catalog in hopes of securing a spot in the Top 5. Comedian and “Swiftie” Nikki Glaser will also appear as a guest judge.

American Idol airs Mondays at 8/7c on ABC and Disney+ and streams the next day on Hulu.