Former American Idol winner Samantha Diaz has been hospitalized for a mystery illness.
“I’m grateful for the prayers everyone,” the season 18 champ, 23, wrote via Instagram Story on Friday, August 26. “I’m doing much better now.”
Diaz — stage name Just Sam — shared several snaps of her hospital room, alongside cryptic messages about her condition. “100lbs is crazyyy,” she wrote in a second Story slide. “I seriously need help.”
The New York resident was first taken to a local medical facility on Wednesday, August 24, before being discharged several hours later.
“Thank you to everyone that checked on me. I am ALIVE and out of the hospital,” Diaz noted via her Story on Wednesday, according to Heavy. The “Safe N Sound” musician then shared a get-well-soon card that she had received.
“Guys, look at what my baby got me. Awwww! After such a horrible day, oh my gosh,” Diaz gushed in her Story at the time.
While the former reality TV star was in better spirits and on the mend, she eventually returned to the hospital on Friday.
While Diaz has not shared further health updates about her condition, she previously rose to fame during season 18 of American Idol — its third season on ABC — in 2020. She eventually took home the top prize during the virtual finale amid the coronavirus pandemic. At just 21 years old, Diaz became the first at-home winner after weekly performances via Zoom setups from her home.
“Can I thank America now? My dreams have come true,” Diaz gushed during the May 2020 finale. “My grandmother has been saying that she doesn’t believe that people like us can have their dreams come true. This is proof to her!”
She added at the time: “I kept on pushing, kept on singing and look where it’s brought me. I hope to inspire all the little girls who believe their dreams can’t come true. Anyone can do it.”
While viewers — and judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie — were wowed by her impressive vocal talents, Diaz also shared the inspiration for her “Just Sam” moniker.
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“In high school, they didn’t know which category to put me in,” she revealed during one episode. “I wasn’t a girl, not a boy, but both. And I’m like, ‘Just Sam — it sounds perfect. I think I’m going to use that as my stage name forever.’”
Since her Idol tenure, Diaz has continued making music. Her latest single, “Pain is Power,” dropped earlier this month on streaming platforms.
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