What happened to Murphy on 'American Idol 19'? All about his elimination & finale comeback

The finale episode of American Idol season 19 aired on ABC on May 23, 2021. While Chayce Beckham took home the prestigious trophy of American Idol's winner, one of the highlights of the singing reality show's grand finale was the live performance by the fan-favourite former contestant, Philip Murphy. As Murphy's performance has been winning netizens' hearts on social media, read to find out everything about his journey on American Idol, from being eliminated to making a comeback on the show's finale episode. 

What happened to Murphy on American Idol season 19?

American Idol took their ardent viewers by surprise on Sunday as they brought back an eliminated yet fan favourite contestant, Philip Murphy, back into the theatre. The singer returned to the stage of the singing reality TV show for the finale episode of season 19. For the unversed, Murphy was eliminated from the show back in March this year, on what also happened to be his 28th birthday. 

With his elimination, he could not even make it to American Idol season 19's Top 24 contestants. However, his special appearance for a live performance on the season finale episode not only added to his recognition but also proved how much the audience loved him and his songs. Murphy took the stage of American Idol with his guitar and performed two of his original songs, i.e. Am I Still Mine? and The Painted Man. Upon finishing his performance, he sweetly thanked everyone and said, "It’s good to see you all again". Along with releasing his performance video, American Idol's official YouTube handle wrote:

It's rare to have an American Idol contestant, or anyone, for that matter, make an impact on peoples’ hearts the way Murphy did. Undoubtedly a fan favorite, we are so grateful to have Murphy back on the American Idol stage for the finale, to perform his incredible, original songs “Am I Still Mine?” and “The Painted Man.” Our cheeks hurt from smiling so much at this video!

Check out the full performance of Murphy on American Idol below:

While several celebrity performers comprised the star-studded finale lineup, the top 3 American Idol 2021 contestants Chayce Beckham, Grace Kinstler and Willie Spence also performed multiple times throughout the three-hour show. In addition to that, ABC also welcomed a number of contestants from American Idol S19's Top 24 contestants to perform live during the finale episode, including Alyssa Wray, Arthur Gunn, Cassandra Coleman, Casey Bishop, Hunter Metts and DeShawn Goncalves. While Chayce was titled the winner of this season, Willie bagged the "runner up" spot, followed by Grace.

IMAGE: AMERICAN IDOL'S TWITTER