After Slater Nalley forgot the words to the song he was singing on the Sunday, May 11, episode of American Idol, host Ryan Seacrest offered him some comforting assurance by revealing that he’s had similar flubs on live shows in the past.
“I’ve stood here and said, ‘Welcome back to Wheel of Fortune,’” Seacrest noted, referring to the other show he hosts, adding that it’s the “wrong show.”
Slater recovered from his lyric mishap and finished his performance of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King. He also received a comforting message from judge Luke Bryan, who told him, “You’ve done what we’ve all done. Right before you gotta sing, you go blank. We’ve all done it. But man, what a recover from that. Not to expose you, but I want you to just understand that stuff happens. I’ve done it on awards shows and hard pressure moments. Way to recover and great job on the finish.”
The teenager didn’t seem to let the mistake get him down and he kept his head high as he left the stage to prepare for another performance later on in the show. He is one of seven artists left in the competition, but at the end of the episode, two will be eliminated based on America’s votes.
Seacrest has been hosting American Idol since Season 1 in 2002. Meanwhile, he took over as host of Wheel of Fortune in September 2024 following Pat Sajak‘s departure, so this is the first year that he’s been hosting both shows at once.
Ahead of his stint on Wheel, Seacrest gushed over how excited he was to join the show. “I mean, it’s Wheel of Fortune, how could you not be happy?” he said on Good Morning America. “It’s energetic, it’s positive, it’s fun. I’m so excited.”
American Idol, Season 23, Sundays and Mondays, 8/7c, ABC
Wheel of Fortune, weeknights, check local listings
