Carrie Underwood will replace Katy Perry as a judge on "American Idol" next season.
ABC is expected to make the official announcement Thursday, Variety reported. Underwood is no stranger to the show. She rose to prominence as a former contestant and eventual winner of "American Idol" Season 4 in 2005 and has since appeared on numerous occasions as a mentor. In 2022, she performed at the show's finale.
Underwood, who has sold over 85 million records worldwide and earned eight Grammy Awards, is set to join Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan as a judge for Season 23.
Perry revealed her plans to exit "American Idol" in February during an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" after the host asked her how long she planned to be a judge on the hit ABC show.
"Well, you know, this fall, this September, I'm going to be doing this huge music festival in Brazil called Rock in Rio. It's really exciting. It's a big deal for people all over the world, especially my Brazilian fans," she said, according to the New York Post.
"So I think this will probably be my last season for 'Idol,' " added Perry of the 22nd season.
She has been a judge on the show alongside Richie and Bryan since its revival in 2018.
In April she made it clear who she hoped would replace her as a judge on the show.
"I gotta say Jelly Roll was crazy when he came on the show," Perry told E! News at the time. "He could run for president, he could be my pastor, I might go back to church for him. He could sell me anything ... to have any of these guys plus Jelly on the show would be amazing."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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