Heavy/ABC "American Idol" judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie embrace during the season 22 finale, their last time working on the show together.
After months of speculation about which celebrity will replace Katy Perry at the judge’s table on “American Idol,” multiple outlets reported on July 31, 2024, that ABC will soon name season 4 winner Carrie Underwood as Perry’s successor.
Early in the day, TMZ reported that Underwood’s management team was “in the final stages of locking her into a contract” to take over as a judge on the show. By midday, Deadline also reported that Underwood “is expected to sit alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan on the panel for Season 25.” But the next season, expected to debut in early 2025, will actually be the series’ 23rd season since its debut in 2002.
Hours after Deadline’s story, The Hollywood Reporter also wrote that its sources said Underwood was ABC’s pick for Perry’s replacement in the next season.
The network has not commented on the reports, but Page Six reported late in the day that ABC plans to announce Underwood as Perry’s replacement on August 1.
Other ‘Idol’ Winners & Music Superstars Have Expressed Interest in Replacing Katy Perry
GettyCarrie Underwood poses with her award for Best Roots Gospel Album at the GRAMMYs in April 2022
If Underwood is confirmed as ABC’s pick, it will end months-long speculation about possible replacements for Perry, who announced her impending departure on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in February.
Among those who’ve been widely rumored to be in the running were season 22 “Idol” mentors Meghan Trainor, Jon Bon Jovi, and JellyRoll as well as Miley Cyrus and Pink. Former “Idol” winners Fantasia Barrino and Jordin Sparks have also expressed interest in the gig, with Barrino telling ET in April that she “would love” to be considered.
Original “Idol” winner and former “The Voice” coach Kelly Clarkson denied rumors she might replace Perry, telling ET in June that since moving to New York, she was not interested or available to be part of either show due to the time commitment and because both shows are taped in Los Angeles.
If true, Underwood’s hire will come as a big disappointment to Trainor, who appeared twice as a mentor and performer on season 22. She told Bravo’s Andy Cohen on the June 12 edition of “Watch What Happens Live” that she “begged” for the job, sending emails to every contact she had at the show, but had still not heard from producers.
Though Underwood remained mum on reports of her joining “Idol,” she did announce on July 30 that she’ll continue her popular “Reflection” residency at Resorts World Theater in Las Vegas with concert dates in August and October, as well as five dates in March and April.
Based on Heavy’s reporting, “Idol” producers, who have begun virtual auditions for season 23, typically begin filming in-person auditions with the judges in September, with Hollywood Week occurring in December. The top picks then usually move on to the Hawaii round, taped early in the new year before the new season premieres, typically in February.
Luke Bryan Recently Said He & Lionel Richie Didn’t Know Their Future on ‘American Idol’
ABC“Idol” judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan in 2024
The reports of Bryan and Richie’s return will also be a relief for many fans who’ve been worried that the longtime judges wouldn’t return. Bryan told Billboard on July 1 that they were both in the dark about whether producers wanted them to return for their eighth season together.
“It’s been interesting,” Bryan told Billboard. “It’s been something Disney been really tightlipped about with me and Lionel and Ryan. We currently haven’t heard what the story is on who’s coming back, and if Lionel and I are coming back.”
During season 22, Richie assumed he would return for the next season because he expressed how hard it would be to do the show without Perry by his side.
On April 15, when an “Entertainment Tonight” reporter asked Richie about Perry’s impending departure, he said, “I can’t talk about that because it’s upsetting.
That same night, Bryan also told the outlet it was hard to imagine a change in the lineup after seven seasons together.
“It’s kind of like the clock’s ticking, every episode’s one more getting closer to the finale where obviously we won’t be doing this together,” Bryan told ET. “It will be an emotional night. We know that she’s not gonna be here. But we’ve had a hell of a ride. It’s been fun.”