Entertainment Weekly
[Source: Entertainment Weekly]
Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood are all returning as judges for the upcoming season 24 of American Idol.
Yep, the judging trio has been tapped to return to the stage for a second round once the venerable music competition series returns to ABC and Hulu in 2026.
The live virtual nationwide search for the next superstar begins Tuesday, Aug. 26 across all 50 states plus Washington, D.C.
ABC released a special judge announcement video on Monday to celebrate the announcement of the trio’s return.
Bryan and Richie first joined the judging panel in 2018 when the reality competition debuted on ABC from its previous home on Fox, where it first launched in 2002. They were joined by Katy Perry, whom Underwood replaced as a judge last season.
Underwood’s stint as a judge is particularly notable, as the country superstar began her career on the show after she won season 4 back in 2005.
“It was a different time in the show — in the world in general — and there was a decent chance you might get super-duper humiliated in front of tens of millions of people,” Underwood told Entertainment Weekly earlier this year of how the show has evolved since she her days as a contestant. “It’s changed a lot, and hopefully people can leave with some information that will make them better — no matter how long they are on the show.”
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