Singer Carrie Underwood, who won the fourth season of American Idol back in 2005, will be joining the show as a judge for its coming 23rd season early next year, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
She will take over for Katy Perry, who left at the end of last season. Both Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan are likely to return.
Underwood is the most successful Idol winner, winning eight Grammys and a total of 25 accolades from the Academy of Country Music (16) and Country Music Association (9). She has also had eight albums (including a greatest hits collection) top the US country charts, with four also reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Perry revealed in February that season 22 of American Idol would be her last as a judge, as she wanted to focus on her own music. She, Richie, and Bryan have been on the programme’s judging panel for the entire seven-season run on ABC, which relaunched the show in 2018–two years after Fox terminated Idol‘s first 15-season run.
Simon Fuller created the American singing competition television series American Idol, which was produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment and distributed by Fremantle. It ran on Fox for 15 seasons, from June 11, 2002, until April 7, 2016. It was on hiatus for two years until March 11, 2018, when the series was revived on ABC.
The 23rd season of American Idol is slated to premiere in early 2025. Live, virtual auditions are set to begin August 12, according to The Hollywood Reporter.