'American Idol' Finalist Joshua Ledet Meets Michelle Obama (Video)

Joshua Ledet/Twitter

During Joshua Ledet’s American Idol hometown visit, the season 11 finalist giddily exclaimed: "People are acting like I'm Barack Obama!"

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Ledet got a chance to stand in for President Obama in New York City on Wednesday morning when he met First Lady Michelle Obama on a media stop backstage at Live! With Kelly. The 20-year-old Louisiana native tweeted a picture to his followers immediately after their photo op.

Ledet, who placed third on this year's Idol behind winner Phillip Phillips and runner-up Jessica Sanchez, entertained Kelly Ripa's studio audience with an impassioned encore of James Brown's “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World." 

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"I don’t think America sees how much it means to me,"  he said of his Idol run. "I think they thought I was bummed I went home in third, but I was actually excited and happy that I made it that far."

Ledet is making the most out of his New York trip. The charitable preacher’s son visited a children’s hospital, and tweeted that he “saw some very special kids! Love them all!” He also squeezed in some time to see a Broadway Show – Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark – and jumped on stage at Birdland jazz club this week for an impromptu performance backed by Idol's music director Michael Orland.

Watch Ledet’s performance on Live! With Kelly below.