{"id":239849,"date":"2026-04-08T04:44:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T04:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/239849\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T04:44:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T04:44:08","slug":"el-pasos-julian-kalel-eliminated-from-american-idol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/239849\/","title":{"rendered":"El Paso\u2019s Julian Kalel Eliminated From American Idol"},"content":{"rendered":"

El Paso\u2019s own Julian Kalel may have wrapped up his <\/a>American Idol<\/a> journey,<\/a> but his impact is far from over.<\/p>\n

Over the past several weeks, viewers watched Julian grow from a hopeful audition into one of the competition\u2019s most memorable voices.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From earning his golden ticket to delivering emotional performances like his original song \u201cSurrender,\u201d<\/a> Julian stood out not only for his talent, but for his willingness to be vulnerable. He used the stage to speak openly about his mental health journey, turning his music into a message that resonated far beyond the competition.<\/p>\n

Courtesy: American Idol<\/p>\n

Courtesy: American Idol<\/p>\n

Read More: El Paso\u2019s Julian Kalel Moves to Top 14 Amid Idol Twist<\/a><\/p>\n

Julian Kalel Exits Idol, But His Message Lives On<\/p>\n

Monday night\u2019s episode of American Idol revealed the two contestants who would not be advancing to the Top 12 and Julian was one of them. It was a tough moment for fans, especially those in El Paso who have been cheering him on every step of the way.<\/p>\n

Monday\u2019s episode was themed 90s Night, where contestants were set to perform iconic songs from the decade. Julian had prepared to perform \u201cA Thousand Miles from Nowhere,\u201d\u00a0by Dwight Yoakam but viewers didn\u2019t get the chance to see it live on stage following his elimination. <\/p>\n

However, fans can still hear his version of the song on Spotify,<\/a> giving a glimpse into what would have been another powerful performance.<\/p>\n

Shortly after the episode aired, Julian took to Instagram to thank his supporters, writing:<\/p>\n

Thank you for your votes, your voices, your support, and for believing in me since the very beginning. Journey ain\u2019t over yet. Love every single one of y\u2019all.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Julian Kalel Eliminated From Idol but His Journey Isn\u2019t Over<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s never easy to say goodbye to a hometown favorite, Julian\u2019s run on American Idol leaves behind something much bigger than a placement in the competition. First off, he has been the only El Pasoans to ever get this far in a competition like American Idol so that is a huge accomplishment in its own!<\/p>\n

Julian also proved that using your voice to shine a light on topics that are often considered taboo, like mental health, is not only possible, but powerful.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Week after week, he showed that vulnerability belongs on the biggest stages and if history has shown us anything, it\u2019s that not winning American Idol doesn\u2019t mean the end of success. In fact, many artists who didn\u2019t take home the title have gone on to build incredible careers. Sometimes even bigger than the winners themselves. (Yea, I\u2019m looking at EGOT Winner and Daytime talk show host Jennifer Hudson!!)<\/p>\n

Courtesy: American Idol\/Julian Kalel<\/p>\n

Courtesy: American Idol\/Julian Kalel<\/p>\n

Read More: El Pasoan, Julian Kalel, Song for Dad Sends Him to Idol Top 20<\/a><\/p>\n

I will definitely miss cheering on Julian every Monday night, but if I\u2019m being honest this feels less like an ending and more like a beginning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With his talent, his message, and the support of a community behind him, there\u2019s no doubt this is just the start of what\u2019s ahead. El Paso will be watching and cheering you on on every step of the way, Julian so keep kicking ass, Mijo!<\/p>\n

From El Paso to Hollywood: Julian Kalel\u2019s American Idol Journey<\/p>\n

Julian Kalel secures a golden ticket on\u00a0American Idol\u00a0and delivers a message bigger than music.<\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Courtesy: American Idol<\/p>\n

Meet the El Paso Talent Making Waves in Broadway and Hollywood<\/p>\n

Gallery Credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"El Paso\u2019s own Julian Kalel may have wrapped up his American Idol journey, but his impact is far…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":239850,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[138,140,139,141,142,6262,143,833],"class_list":{"0":"post-239849","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-el-paso","8":"tag-el-paso","9":"tag-el-paso-headlines","10":"tag-el-paso-news","11":"tag-featured-carousel","12":"tag-include-in-newsletter","13":"tag-list-posts","14":"tag-local-el-paso","15":"tag-local-texas"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239849\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239850"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}