Season 23 “American Idol” winner Jamal Roberts’ victory on May 18, 2025, came with an undisclosed cash prize, an album development deal with 19 Recordings, and newfound fame. But the dad of three from Meridian, Mississippi, likely never imagined his win would also lead to country superstar Carrie Underwood naming a farm animal after him.

On May 21, 2025, Underwood — who won the competition in 2005 and returned as a judge in 2025 — posted a series of adorable photos on Instagram of a newborn lamb at her Nashville farm, born the same day as the “American Idol” finale.

Underwood captioned the post, “Surprise! We’ve got another new life around the farm! This little guy happened to be born on the day of the @americanidol finale, so we figured it would only be right if we named him Jamal!!! ☺️ Mama and Baby J are doing well…and I’m popping by the barn to get snuggles every chance I get! Welcome to the world, little dude!”

Fans Are in Love With Carrie Underwood’s Newest Arrival

Fans and friends instantly swooned over the adorable newborn lamb and the name Underwood chose for him, with one fan writing, “Never in a MILLION years did Jamal Roberts dream that Carrie Underwood would name a lamb after him!! 😂 This takes dreams coming true to a WHOLE nother level!! Love it!!”

Contemporary Christian artist Brandon Lake, who performed several times on season 23 of “American Idol,” excitedly commented, “JAMAL!!!”

The “American Idol” social media team chimed in, “Already lookin’ like a winner 🏆✨”

“This is absolutely a perfect name,” one fan wrote, and another agreed, “Jamal is the perfect name for this cutie !!!! 😍”

Given Roberts’ penchant for wearing no shirt under his suits and vests, one fan quipped, “Jamal is sooooooooooo cute!!!! Good thing he wont need a shirt with that coat 🧥 Amazing Mama and baby.”

Jamal Roberts Said He Valued Carrie Underwood’s Social Media Advice

After the May 18 finale, Roberts told Access Hollywood that the best advice he received from Underwood during the season was her “post and ghost” social media strategy.

“Post and ghost, post and ghost,” he told the outlet. “I gotta just love it because people are gonna have their opinions all over the world, but if you post and ghost, I ain’t worried about it. Just stay focused on the task at hand.”

Underwood shared her advice during the April 28 episode, as she was providing feedback to contestant Breanna Nix about not letting naysayers’ voices get into her head.

“I want to tell you all an important trick,” Underwood said. “It’s called ‘post and ghost.’ You put your stuff on social media and you don’t look at the comments. That’s how I live my life, man. Anybody who thinks they’re yelling at me, or insulting me, or telling me I’m a certain way, or not enough this, or I’m too much that, they’re just yelling at the clouds. I don’t hear or see any of it. So, post and ghost people.”

Underwood acknowledged to Parade Magazine that social media is a necessity for artists building their fan bases and trying to gain exposure, but said it can also erode their sense of confidence.

“Even when I was on the show 20 years ago, we had message boards,” she explained. “So that was kind of the beginning of social media. But you had to seek it out a little more. Now, it’s in your face no matter what you do. And especially if you are an aspiring musician, you have to put yourself on social media. It’s part of the deal because you want to gain fans and it’s such a huge way to do that.”

However, she said, “Some of the most toxic people on the planet are the ones that are on running things and posting things the most. So becoming comfortable within yourself and what you do, putting it out there for people to see and looking at the people that you like to follow (is my advice). But then, do you really care what somebody that you’ve never met before and are never going to see cares about you? Don’t worry about it. Do your thing.”