'American Idol' Winner Abi Carter Comes From a Big Religious Family

The winner of Season 22 of American Idol has been revealed. In the May 19 finale, Abi Carter was crowned as the show's champion. Following the news of her victory, many wanted to better understand who Abi is, and what kind of music the Indio, Calif. native might wind up releasing now that she's won the show.

Religion was a cornerstone of Abi's upbringing, so it makes sense that that would be one of the things fans of hers are most curious about. Here's what we know about Abi's religious views, and what she's said about them.

In her very first appearance on American Idol, Abi shared that religion was a cornerstone of her life growing up.

“I came from a very religious family,” she shared, without specifying what her religious beliefs were. Now, we know that she is a Christian, in part because she performed the Christian gospel song “Oceans (Where Feet May Fall)” during the competition.

Abi also comes from a big family, which is part of the reason that some have speculated that she might actually be Mormon. While there's no evidence to confirm that theory, her performance of the gospel song suggests that she might just be protestant. Until she starts discussing her faith in more detail, we won't know for sure exactly what her faith dictates to her.

“I have been a fan of American Idol my entire life,” Abi told the show's judges during her audition. “I’ve been telling myself since I was a kid, when I got old enough, I would do it. So, I guess this is just me doing it.”

Abi also revealed that she was homeschooled until college, which allowed her to also get a job that could help her support her family.

"I went to Washington Charter [School] up until third grade and from there I was homeschooled,” Abi explained during a 2024 interview. “I went to less than one semester at La Quinta High School and it was during that time that my parents separated. My mom had to start going back to school to get a degree to support all of us."

"I, subsequently, kind of had to leave public high school and go back into homeschooling so that I could get a job to be able to buy a car and take my siblings to and from school and extracurricular activities because my mom was then occupied with her schooling," she added.

Abi graduated from California State University, San Bernardino, in May of 2023 with a degree in psychology.

Now that she's the latest winner of American Idol, Abi has real opportunities to continue her singing career. While the show's recent winners have not been as wildly successful as some of the show's earlier victors, Abi still has opportunities she likely never imagined just a few weeks ago. Given her religious background, she almost definitely believes God had something to do with it.