In a rare feat, “American Idol” has been renewed for a 25th season, set to air 25 years after the iconic talent show premiered. Though it’s been widely assumed that ABC would renew the long-running competition again, the network didn’t make it official until July 29, 2026.
First announced on “Good Morning America,” the iconic singing competition will kick off its Season 25 “Idol Across America” live auditions on August 25 and run through October 15, per an ABC press release.
Season 25 of ‘American Idol’ — Everything We Know
Disney“American Idol” Season 25 will premiere on ABC in 2027, and it will also stream live on Disney+. Though a specific date hasn’t been announced, Season 24 premiered in late January.
ABC did not confirm the return of judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood, opting to announce the judging panel at a later date. If the trio does return, it would mark Bryan and Richie’s 10th seasons as judges and the third for Underwood, who won the show’s fourth season in 2005.
Richie made it known in May that he wanted to return, though that was before an unexplained health scare landed him in the hospital during the kickoff concert of his summer tour. He joked to USA Today after the Season 24 finale that he and his fellow cast members needed the audience’s support to bring them back just like the contestants.
“If you all get together and vote,” he said, “just vote Luke, Carrie, Lionel, Ryan. Send your votes to ABC and say, ‘We cannot watch this show without those four people.”
As for host Ryan Seacrest, the only cast member who’s been with the show from the beginning, his return is also not official, but he told USA Today in May, “I can’t imagine there wouldn’t be a Season 25 of ‘American Idol.’ They haven’t told me that’s official yet, but that would be strange if we didn’t get to 25 and stopped at 24. So I would be hopeful that it comes.”
‘American Idol’ is Still an Attention Getter After All These Years
DisneyIt’s extremely rare for a show to have the longevity of “American Idol.” It ran for 15 seasons on FOX but ended in 2016 due to declining ratings, only to be revived by ABC after one year off the air. The network has adapted to changing times and trends, from transitioning to mostly virtual auditions since COVID to building the show’s audience by leveraging social media and streaming.
The strategy seems to be working. According to ABC, the kickoff of Season 24 was the show’s most-watched season premiere in four years, and it delivered impressive Monday night ratings throughout the season.
And social media’s been buzzing, too. So far in 2026, ABC says the show “claims nine of the Top 10 most-social reality episodes in primetime and remains the most-social reality series in primetime, averaging 1.1 million interactions per episode.”
How to Audition for Season 25 of ‘American Idol’
DisneyA live, virtual talent search called “Idol Across America” kicks off on August 25, with dates scheduled in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Singers will get to perform face-to-face with an “American Idol” producer, per ABC, and then may get sent on to audition for the judges weeks or months later.
Auditions will be open worldwide to “all those eligible,” starting with VIP Day on August 25. On that day, only the first 250 sings who register will nab an audition spot; once they’re gone, the auditions will close for the day. After that, virtual auditions are separated into state groupings as follows:
○ AUGUST 26 — Florida, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia
○ AUGUST 27 — Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
○ AUGUST 31 — The South Open Call
○ SEPTEMBER 1 — Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin
○ SEPTEMBER 2 — Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Washington
○ SEPTEMBER 8 — Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas
○ SEPTEMBER 9 — Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming
○ SEPTEMBER 11 — Nationwide Open Call
○ SEPTEMBER 14 — East Coast Open Call
○ SEPTEMBER 16 — Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina
○ SEPTEMBER 18 — Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont
○ SEPTEMBER 21 — West and Midwest Open Call
○ SEPTEMBER 23 — Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi
○ SEPTEMBER 25 — Delaware; Maryland; Ohio; Washington, D.C.; Rhode Island; Massachusetts
○ SEPTEMBER 26 — Nationwide Open Call
Can’t make your state’s date? It’s okay — you can just apply to audition on a date that works for you, per ABC. If you’ll be age 15 by February 15, 2027, you can sign up to try out at americanidol.com/auditions.
