Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie are all returning to American Idol for another season. The news was confirmed via a video shared on social media.
Bryan recently hinted that he thought all three of them would likely return, although nothing was confirmed.
“We’re close to getting some stuff figured out,” Bryan says on Country Nights Live with Bev Rainey. “But I think Idol, they know …but between me and Carrie and Lionel and Ryan, we haven’t announced all together what we’re going to do.”
“I don’t predict any big surprises in that world, but we’ll see,” he adds.
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Carrie Underwood Returns For Another Season of ‘American Idol’
Unlike Bryan and Richie, Underwood only has one season as a judge of American Idol under her belt. Still, she does come with her own wealth of experience, since she was also a contestant, winning Season 4 in 2005.
“I owe my career to American Idol,” Underwood tells 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.”
After Underwood’s inaugural season as a coach on American Idol, the mother of two reflected on her journey, from competing on the TV show to becoming a judge.
“I think about my journey on American Idol all the time, because it’s so grand,” Underwood says. “It’s so unbelievable. If somebody were to explain to me, if I had never seen American Idol before, and then somebody were to explain to me my journey, in their words, I would be like, ‘That’s impossible. What are you even saying?’ To go from somebody who was going to school, trying to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, and just kind of on a whim to go try out for American Idol.
“And then to make it past the first round, make it past the second round,” she continues. “To keep going, and then end up the last person standing, and then everything that’s happened since then, it just sounds insane. And it sounds insane to me when I think about it, because if I hadn’t made that one decision in my life, my life would be completely different. So it’s a blessed journey that I’ve been on.”
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Luke Bryan on ‘American Idol’
Bryan and Richie have been part of American Idol since 2018, when it moved to ABC. They were joined by Katy Perry, who left the show, and was replaced by Underwood. It’s an opportunity Bryan says he may not have taken, if not for his good friend, Blake Shelton, after Shelton announced he was leaving The Voice.
“Blake was a big reason why I decided to do American Idol,” Bryans says on Country Countdown USA. “Him stepping down from The Voice, I know he’s ready. He’s ready to move to the next chapter. It’s gotta be a good feeling. I wish him nothing but the best, and I thank him for paving the way for there to be a voice of country music on TV like that.”
Auditions begin on August 26. Find more information at AmericanIdol.com.