Local American Idol fans will have to wait a while longer to find out if Eli Plamer gets his ticket to Hollywood. The Cleveland, Georgia, native auditioned for the popular national singing competition, but his segment did not air on Sunday’s season 23 premiere.
Palmer, whose girlfriend, Haley Esquinance, also auditioned for Idol, appeared in an Instagram post on Sunday acknowledging the delay.
“You will not be seeing us on this episode tonight,” he said.
“Yes, you won’t be seeing us on this episode because not everyone who auditions even gets on an episode. So there’s no telling when our episode is, but when we find out, we will let you guys know,” she added.
Palmer, a 2020 graduate of White County High School, majored in business and studied music abroad at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. He met Esquinance while performing in the Lee University Choir.
The musically inclined couple started writing and performing music together, sharing their God-given talents in local churches, youth groups, and evangelistic ministries across the Southeastern U.S. and abroad in Israel.
They recently announced on social media that they auditioned for American Idol. Palmer’s high school alma mater shared the news on social media, cheering him on with pride and delivering a “big shoutout.”
Fans can support Palmer on Instagram and TikTok @EliPalmerOfficial or by subscribing to his YouTube channel, where he posts original music and covers.
American Idol airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. (ET) on ABC and Hulu.
