Ryan Seacrest shocked viewers during the latest episode of American Idol — by flashing his bare feet!
The longtime host, 51, took the stage alongside contestant Kyndal Inskeep completely barefoot. The move was an odd act of solidarity given that Inskeep performed without shoes on the Monday, March 30, episode of American Idol.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Seacrest explained that he was hit with a sudden bout of curiosity after seeing the contestant take the stage barefoot as well, although her feet were seemingly covered by her dress.
“I just saw Kyndal, and I thought, ‘I’ve never hosted the show in my bare feet. I want to feel grounded, I want to feel that,” he said.
He also acknowledged that some people online have a bit of an appetite for bare feet, which he didn’t seem bothered by.
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“There’s a WikiFeetia, or something? I don’t know,” he acknowledged. “But I spent 42 bucks and I want to show them off. I just had them done, so it’s good it wasn’t next week.”
The barefoot moment wasn’t the only shocker on Monday’s episode. The host was tasked earlier in the episode with letting the audience know that voting results would not be revealed for the first time in the show’s 24-season history. He said there was an “unprecedented” 10 million votes cast, which meant the team behind Idol needed more time to tally them.
Instead of announcing the top 14 contestants remaining in the competition that night, the results will be read at the top of the Monday, April 6 episode for the first time ever.