Photo: ABC
Carrie Underwood and her fellow American Idol judges, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, confirmed their return to the competition show with a back-to-school-themed announcement on Monday (August 25). American Idol’s ninth season on ABC and Hulu will return in 2026.
Bryan said “class is back in session, and Underwood added, “this year, we’re majoring in music as we help launch your dreams.” Richie said the trio of judges will return “for another amazing season of Idol University.” The clip ends with dates for upcoming casting calls across the country.
Underwood — who recently went “back to my roots,” and returned to her natural hair color for the first time in 30 years — is serving as a judge for her second season. She made a full circle return to the show last year, marking two decades since her career-launching victory in 2005. The Grammy-winning country star joined Bryan and Richie as a judge after pop megastar Katy Perry’s departure. Though longtime host Ryan Seacrest is absent from the back-to-school Idol announcement, unnamed sources told Deadline that he is expected to return to the show..
Auditions for the upcoming season of American Idol will begin on Tuesday (August 26). See the subject-to-change “Idol Across America” audition schedule below, via a press. Release issued Monday, and watch the back-to-school-themed announcement here:
- “First 900” VIP Event (Aug. 26)
- Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi (Aug. 27)
- Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas (Aug. 28)
- Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina (Sept. 2)
- Nationwide open call (Sept. 3)
- Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania (Sept. 4)
- Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, Tennessee (Sept. 8)
- Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Washington (Sept. 9)
- Florida, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia (Sept. 11)
- East Coast open call (Sept. 12)
- The South open call (Sept. 15)
- Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin (Sept. 16)
- West and Midwest open call (Sept. 18)
- Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, D.C. (Sept. 19)
- Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming (Sept. 22)
- Nationwide open call (Sept. 24)