As “American Idol” season 24 gets underway on ABC, the judges — Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and Lionel Richie — have already whittled down the competition behind the scenes, prepared to watch and critique the top contenders as they perform in Hawaii on January 29 and 30, 2026.
Jelly Roll — now a judge on Netflix’s “Star Search” reboot — is not in Hawaii to advise contestants, as he was in 2025, serving as the show’s first artist-in-residence. But, similar to previous seasons, two superstar mentors are there to coach the “American Idol” hopefuls: actress and singer Keke Palmer and country superstar Brad Paisley.
Keke Palmer & Brad Paisley Announced Their ‘American Idol’ Mentorship via Social Media
On January 28, Palmer and Paisley appeared in a social media video filmed at Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa, which stages the Hawaii round of competition each year.
The two jumped on board the recent social media trend of impersonating an owl, with Palmer announcing, “This is our impression of an owl…” and Paisley saying, “who’s gonna be a mentor on ‘American Idol’ this season.” She sang her “whooo” with a soulful run, and Paisley cutely asked, “Who!?”
The post originated with Palmer, who wrote in the caption, “Oh, and the owl can SINGGG honey! 🦉@bradpaisley and I are mentoring the #americanidol hopefuls at @disneyaulani!”
Fans flipped over the news, including one who called them “dream mentors” and another exclaiming, “A combo I didn’t know I needed!!”
Another commented, “So cute 😍🦉😂 Two awesome mentors 👏 Keke is going to bring her fun energy to the show 🔥😍”
Keke Palmer & Brad Paisley Will Appear as ‘American Idol’ Mentors in March
DisneyPalmer and Paisley’s mentorship sessions with the top 20 contestants will appear on the show in March, per UPI. The outlet reported on January 29 that those episodes will air on March 16 and 23. It won’t be Paisley’s first appearance in season 24, though.
In the season premiere that debuted on January 26, the country superstar helped Bryan pull a prank on Underwood and Richie. Bryan wore an earpiece at the judges’ table during what was actually a mock audition, uttering whatever Paisley told him to — from hilariously declaring that he hated the state of Michigan to not giving the contestant (actually an actor) the time of day.
Paisley and his wife, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, are big supporters of the country singer’s alma mater, Nashville’s Belmont University, where this season’s auditions and “Hollywood Week” are being held. Paisley has been on the country charts for two decades, a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 2001, and has written 21 of his 24 number one country hits.
Palmer is notoriously busy between her acting and music gigs; she’ll headline “The Burbs” reboot on Peacock starting February 8 and will star in the feature film “I Love Boosters,” out May 22, per Ebony. She also released her 18-track album “Just Keke” in 2025.
