Fans in Savannah, Georgia, were thrilled to get a glimpse of music legend Lionel Richie, 77, for the first time since multiple hospitalizations and a heart procedure sidelined him over the summer.
On October 28, 2026, Richie was caught on video by bystanders who saw him filming segments for Season 25 of “American Idol” with Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood. Host Ryan Seacrest has also been spotted in Savannah since ABC announced that, for the first time in the show’s history, the entire season would be filmed in Georgia, rather than in Los Angeles.
Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan & Carrie Underwood Filmed in Downtown Savannah
Savannah’s WJCL-TV posted video of Richie, Bryan, and Underwood in downtown Savannah, outside on the city’s beloved Broughton Street, in the bright sunshine.
In another video, posted by news anchor Leon Purvis, Bryan could be seen walking across the street, followed by a camera crew, and climbing into the driver’s seat of a giant flatbed semi-truck. He honked the horn, closed and opened the door, and shouted, “How’s the insurance on this thing?” He then drove the truck a few feet forward and, laughing, he asked the people watching, “I got you nervous?”
Underwood and Richie watched it all unfold from across the street. Questions had swirled about whether Richie would be able to film after his recent health challenges. In September, when Bryan and Underwood announced their “American Idol” returns during a concert in Nashville, Richie didn’t join them and, instead, sent a pre-recorded video. But today’s sightings seem to confirm that Richie is good to go!
On October 19, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution received confirmation from Fremantle, the production company behind “American Idol,” that it will shoot parts of Season 25 at Trilith Studios in Fayetteville and “at least some auditions” in Savannah.
This comes on the heels of the announcement in mid-September that “American Idol” would be moving from California to Georgia. For season 24, auditions and the show’s iconic “Hollywood Week” were filmed in Nashville, but the cast returned to Los Angeles for all of the live shows.
This season, expected to premiere in early 2027, will be entirely filmed in Georgia, which provides production companies up to a 30% tax credit for unscripted and reality TV shows that spend at least $500,000 in the state, per Deadline.
Ryan Seacrest Seen Filming in Savannah, Too
Both Bryan and Seacrest are originally from Georgia, and the move will mean shorter travel times for Underwood and Bryan, who both live in Nashville. But Seacrest and Richie live in Los Angeles, so they’ll have a much longer commute once the live shows begin.
In fact, Seacrest was spotted in town earlier in the week, taking photos and filming segments in Forsyth Park. Celebrity photographer Yan Dekhtyar posted black-and-white images he snapped of Seacrest, writing, “A man who has spent decades introducing the world to extraordinary talent was gracious enough to stop for a few portraits of his own.”
Meanwhile, a woman walking through the park with her husband posted a video of Seacrest filming on October 26, dressed in head-to-toe denim, as he happily waited for cues from the film crew. The perennial host was due back in L.A. on October 28 for a taping of “Wheel of Fortune,” so he likely was not with the rest of the cast as they filmed earlier in the day.
It’s not clear how long the cast will film auditions with singers who made it through the nationwide virtual try-outs this summer, nor what the show will call the traditional “Hollywood Week” for those who nail their auditions.
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Lionel Richie Makes 1st Public Appearance Since Hospitalizations, Filming ‘American Idol’ With Cast