Jessica Simpson performs live on 'American Idol' as prelude to crowning winner Jamal Roberts

Jessica Simpson is back. The singer-turned-fashion mogul took the “American Idol” signifier Sunday nighttime to execute with 1 of the show’s eliminated contestants connected a nighttime erstwhile the Season 23 victor was crowned.

The “With You” vocalist passionately sang the caller opus “Blame Me” from her caller medium “Nashville Canyon: Part 1.” The enactment is Simpson’s archetypal caller euphony successful astir 17 years. She had performed publically for the archetypal clip successful astir arsenic galore years astatine SXSW successful mid-March.

Then Simpson and eliminated contestant Josh King partnered connected “These Boots Are Made for Walking,” a tune she covered 20 years agone connected the “Dukes of Hazzard” movie soundtrack. Simpson played Daisy Duke successful the 2005 movie reboot of the TV show, which ran from 1979 to 1985 and starred Tom Wopat and John Schneider, with Catherine Bach arsenic the short-shorts-clad Daisy.

In summation to singing with Simpson, King played harmonica during the duet.

King made it to the show’s Top 8 aft being saved by the judges erstwhile the Top 20 competed. When the nationalist yet selected a winner, the choices had been narrowed to three: John Foster, Breanna Nix and Jamal Roberts. The crown went to Roberts successful what big Ryan Seacrest called “the biggest ballot successful amusement history: astir 26 cardinal votes total, according to USA Today. Foster took 2nd and Nix finished 3rd connected the long-running contention show, which ran connected Fox from 2002 to 2016 earlier being picked up and revamped by ABC successful 2018.

Roberts, a PE teacher who hails from Mississippi, rode to the apical spot connected the spot of performances including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me).” The judges this play were Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie.

During auditions, Bryan told Roberts (via People), “What I emotion astir it is it was truly similar Southern soulfulness. Was it perfect? Was it flawless? No. But you’re not trying to sing it perfectly and flawless. You’re conscionable singing it from the heart. And that’s what I felt.”

Underwood won Season 4 of the singing contention 20 years ago, past became a state superstar. Simpson, who became pop-star celebrated successful the epoch of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, started making the crossover to state euphony successful 2008 with the medium “Do You Know.”

Then she stepped distant from the spotlight, focused connected her billion-dollar namesake manner and covering line, got sober and published a tell-all memoir, 2020’s “Open Book.”

Simpson released her archetypal medium since 2008 portion she is going done a divorcement from Eric Johnson, the erstwhile NFL subordinate she joined successful 2014. The archetypal azygous disconnected “Nashville Canyon: Vol. 1” was “Use My Heart Against Me,” released successful February. The afloat medium dropped successful March.

The singer, who shares 3 children with Johnson, was antecedently joined to Nick Lachey of the lad set 98 Degrees. Those 2 had their ain married-couple world show, “Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica,” that ran from 2003 to 2005 with a mates of spinoff specials on the way.

Simpson and Lachey divorced successful 2005 aft 3 years of marriage. Lachey joined Vanessa Minnillo successful 2011.