American Idol is making a major change ahead of the 2026 premiere. The reality TV talent show will, for the first time ever, send contestants making it to the next round to Nashville, instead of Hollywood.
The news was announced in a press release.
“For the first time ever, American Idol will bring the iconic Hollywood Week round to Nashville,” the statement reads. “Hollywood Week: Music City Takeover will feature one round only as the hopefuls from all musical genres take the stage for a make-or-break performance, facing the biggest Hollywood Week cut in Idol history.”
American Idol will premiere on Monday, January 26 on ABC, and stream on Hulu.
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Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie return to ‘American Idol’
Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie are all returning for another season of American Idol. Underwood made her debut as a judge earlier this year, joining Bryan and Richie, who have been part of American Idol since 2018, when it moved to ABC.
“I owe my career to American Idol,” Underwood, who was also a contestant, winning Season 4 in 2005, previously told People. “It has been such an important part of my life, and I will always be grateful for that. Coming back as a judge 20 years later is such a special full-circle moment for me, and it’s meant a lot to share that journey with the people that have been there from the beginning, as well as a whole new generation of Idol fans.”
Bryan credits his good friend, Blake Shelton, with convincing him to do Idol, since Shelton was on The Voice for 23 seasons.
“Blake was a big reason why I decided to do American Idol. … I thank him for paving the way for there to be a voice of country music on TV like that,” Bryan says on Country Countdown USA.
Carrie Underwood’s Success Story After Being on ‘American Idol’
Underwood remains among the most successful American Idol contestants of all time. The Oklahoma native is still in awe at how the reality TV talent show changed everything for her.
“It is really incredible to think, a few decisions that we make in life can completely alter our trajectory,” says the singer. “I make the joke now that I grew up on a farm, in a really small town. Go try out for American Idol, go all over the world. Go on tours, make albums, do all this stuff, just so I could buy a farm, and go back to the farm and live on a farm in a small little town That’s roots. We all have them. You can’t get away from them, and sometimes you have to go out and see all the other stuff before you realize, ‘Man, I had it pretty good, and I kind of want that back.’”
“I love my life so much now, and I feel like I get the best of both worlds,” she continues. “I get my days on the farm at home. I get my chickens and my sheep. There’s still a lot to do. It’s a lot of work. It’s very fulfilling, and that’s where I came from. I came in the world that way, and I’m gonna go out that way. I got to go do some really cool things in and around it and in-between.”
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Photo Credit: Disney / Christopher Willard