Three months after country superstar and former “American Idol” winner Carrie Underwood wrapped her first season as a judge on the show, ABC announced on August 25, 2025, that she’ll be back for season 24 alongside longtime judges Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie, returning for their eighth season together at the judge’s table.
But that leaves two members of the 2024 cast yet to be confirmed: longtime host Ryan Seacrest and the show’s first-ever artist-in-residence, Jelly Roll. Their continuation with the show remains uncertain — here’s the latest on each.
Could Ryan Seacrest Decide to Skip ‘American Idol’ to Be With His Parents?
GettySeacrest, 48, has hosted every season of “American Idol” since the show launched in 2002. He’s always spoken glowingly about the role, but ABC has not officially confirmed he’ll be at the helm of season 24.
One thing that could sway Seacrest to step down is the health of his parents, who live in Atlanta and with whom he’s very close. On July 21, Seacrest cried on his radio show while revealing his 80-year-old dad, Gary, had been battling prostate cancer.
On his nationally syndicated show “On Air With Ryan Seacrest,” he got choked up as he said, “I haven’t shared this on the air because it has been very private for me and my family, as it was something that was extremely hard to see with my father.”
Seacrest said that his dad’s health spiraled during treatment and landed him in the ICU. Seacrest said he raced to Atlanta as soon as “American Idol” wrapped in mid-May, and stayed there for many weeks to help his parents, which he said was especially important given that his mom had also just been through cancer treatment.
Although Seacrest tearfully shared on July 21 that his dad’s health had improved, it’s conceivable that a turn in his prognosis could shift Seacrest’s willingness to be in Los Angeles consistently for “American Idol.”
Deadline reported on August 25 that although Seacrest hasn’t finalized negotiations with ABC, sources said he is “fully expected to return.”
Jelly Roll Said He Wanted a Lifetime Position at ‘American Idol’
DisneyMeanwhile, Jelly Roll has been part of “American Idol” for the last two seasons. In 2023, he served as a guest mentor in Hawaii. His mentorship and presence was such a bright spot that ABC hired him in 2024 as the show’s first-ever Artist in Residence — a role he later said he’d like to become “permanent
A lifelong fan of the show, the country star couldn’t contain his excitement about the job when talking to “Entertainment Tonight” in early March, days before the season premiered.
“Dude, I’m such a fan,” Jelly Roll told ET. “That’s how I got the job. Just fanning my way into the job was proving how much I know and love about ‘American Idol.'”
The country superstar served as a mentor and sounding board for contestants during Hollywood Week. He then joined the Top 24 in Hawaii to conduct joint mentorship sessions with guest mentors Josh Groban and Ashanti, and cheer each contestant on from the audience.
Once live shows began, he frequently sat with the contestants onstage, encouraging them and giving positive critiques of their performances when Seacrest would check in with him.
“What I want to do is get a permanent artist-in-residency there,” Jelly Roll told ET. “Okay? That’s my dream right now — is that it never could be anybody but me and ‘American Idol’ signs a lifelong contract for Jelly Roll to be the mentor artist-in-residence.”
ABC didn’t announce Jelly Roll’s new role until early 2025, so they may wait again to reveal whether the superstar is returning to mentor the show’s young artists again.
A month of virtual auditions kicked off on August 26, and in-person auditions with the three judges will likely take place soon after that.
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