American Idol has named its replacement for Katy Perry, bringing in past winner, Country Queen Carrie Underwood.
Multiple outlets such as TMZ and Deadline are reporting that Underwood is all but a lock to join Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan on the judge’s panel for Season 25.
Underwood has an appearance scheduled on Good Morning America this upcoming Friday for their summer concert series. It is possible that an official announcement could also be made on that day since ABC is the parent company of Idol.
Once the deal is sealed, Underwood will officially be on the superstar grind. The “Jesus, Take the Wheel” singer might need divine intervention to get her through both Idol and her Las Vegas residency at Resorts World through 2025.
Underwood Was Plucked From a Deep Bench of Possible Katy Perry Replacements for ‘American Idol’
ABC has been on the hunt for a replacement for the past few months. Before Underwood was attached, reports indicated that several names had been considered to take over Idol duties from Perry. These included Jelly Roll, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Pink, and Meghan Trainor.
Underwood, with approximately 85 million records sold, is widely regarded as the most successful winner of American Idol. She auditioned for the show—then airing on Fox—with Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me”. Meanwhile, her rendition of “Alone” is often credited as a key factor in her victory.
Idol has shown a strong interest in reintroducing some of its former success stories as judges. In 2018, there was speculation that Kelly Clarkson, the winner of the show’s inaugural season in 2002, would join as a judge. However, she ultimately decided to join The Voice that year instead.
Of course, Perry, Bryan, and Lionel Richie became part of American Idol in Season 16 when ABC relaunched the competition.
Earlier this spring, ABC renewed American Idol for its eighth season, just before the current season’s finale. Since the network acquired the show in 2018, following its conclusion on Fox in 2016, American Idol has consistently delivered strong ratings for ABC.