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AMERICAN Idol’s Zachariah Smith has shared a cozy photo of him with his wife, Crysta Wilkerson, and made a major announcement about his career.
The 19-year-old took to Instagram on Monday to post the snap.
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In the up-close shot, Zachariah smiled alongside his wife, who he praised in his caption: “Shout out to this Beauty for working so hard getting this weeks events in place! I’m so excited to see you all Wabash!”
He then included details for his performance and meet and greets this week, showing that his career is doing just fine since he was booted from Idol.
Zachariah was eliminated from the singing competition earlier this month, just before the season 21 finale.
Instead, Colin Stough, Megan Danielle, and Iam Tongi earned the top three spots, with Iam taking home the title.
HAPPY COUPLE
During Zachariah’s run on the show, fans became fascinated with his personal life, particularly with his marriage to Crysta, who is 13 years his senior.
The U.S. Sun exclusively learned that the couple tied the knot just months after Crysta, 32, divorced the father of her three children.
According to Mississippi divorce records obtained exclusively by The U.S. Sun, Crysta officially split from her previous husband in April 2022.
Crysta and her ex share joint custody of their three children, ages 10, nine, and five.
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The ex-couple split cited “irreconcilable differences” in the documents.
It is unclear when Zachariah and Crysta’s romance began, but in November 2022, when Zachariah’s audition episode was filmed in Nashville, he was introducing Crysta to audiences as his wife.
Sources have reported Zachariah and Crysta got married in September 2022. However, the Monroe County Mississippi Clerk could not confirm this information.
Zachariah has not yet responded to The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.
On Idol, Zachariah was told by judge Luke Bryan, 48, to “burn the apron” and quit his job back home flipping burgers.
However, the show did not mention that his supportive wife, Crysta is the manager of the same famous Mississippi burger joint Zachariah was working for.
Crysta has been working in the business, which has been passed down in her family, for close to twenty years, according to a segment for the regional television station WTVA.
Crysta and Zachariah ran the burger joint together at that time, according to the same outlet.
FANS’ REACTIONS
Despite the 13-year age gap, many fans appear to be supportive of Crysta and Zachariah’s relationship.
Recently, Zachariah shared a photo of his family on Instagram enjoying a day at Disneyland ahead of a Disney-themed Idol special.
One fan commented: “Such a cute photo!”
Another said: “Such a sweet family.”
Yet a third posted: “Sweet and adorable!”
About a month ago, Zachariah posted a tribute to his wife.
He shared a photo of himself planting a kiss on her cheek as she smiled at the camera.
Zachariah captioned the pic: “I don’t think I could ever give enough credit to this beauty!
“She handles my hectic schedule, runs a restaurant, and manages to be the best mom to our three kiddos.”
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