Did he mean to do that?! Longtime “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest may have just upstaged his own show. During a backstage interview with Entertainment Tonight as Seacrest hosted the iHeart Radio Awards on September 20, 2026, Seacrest let it slip that he and judges Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and Lionel Richie are all returning for season 25.
Seacrest, who’s hosted “American Idol” since it first launched in 2002, was a shoo-in for the milestone season. But there was no guarantee the three judges would return, especially with the production moving to Georgia and Richie’s recent hospitalizations, which he has yet to give any details on.
ABC Usually Announces the ‘American Idol’ Cast in the Summer
DisneyThe judges on “American Idol” are on one-year contracts, so ABC typically makes a big announcement in the late summer after negotiating the next season. In each of the past two years, the network has announced Bryan, Richie, and Underwood as its judges by late August — but that didn’t happen this year.
Rather, on September 15, Deadline reported that ABC plans to move filming from Los Angeles to Atlanta for the first time in the talent show’s history, eliminating the need for the show’s iconic phrase, “You’re going to Hollywood!”
When ET’s Denny Directo asked Seacrest at the iHeart Radio Awards how the show would handle that, Seacrest joked that they may have to start saying, “You’re going to see Ryan’s mom!” The longtime host’s mom, but did confirm he and the rest of the cast are up for commuting; Bryan and Underwood live near Nashville, while he and Richie live in L.A.
“It’s super cool,” Seacrest said. “I mean, it’s convenient for Luke and Carrie, right? Not too far. Lionel and I will be zig-zagging a little bit.”
Seacrest will still have his L.A-based radio show and “Wheel of Fortune” tapings in L.A., but said he thinks the move will be “a nice change,” and joked that he can “see all my college, high school football buddies” since he’ll be spending so much time there.
If Seacrest is accurate about all three judges returning, it will mark Bryan and Richie 10th seasons. Underwood will be judging her third, after replacing Katy Perry in 2024.
Ryan Seacrest Says His Mom’s Friends Are Excited to Attend ‘American Idol’ Shows
At the time of Deadline’s report on the show’s big move, Fremantle, which produces “American Idol” with 19 Entertainment, was in “final talks with a studio complex” in the Atlanta area, but no deal had been signed yet, the outlet said.
It noted that the decision to move is mainly financial, and that the state of Georgia “offers up to a 30% tax credit for unscripted and reality television productions that spend at least $500,000.”
Seacrest told ET that his mom, Connie, and her friends are “so excited” he’ll be filming “American Idol” closer to home, joking that her exercise class friends have all said they can’t wait to attend live shows.
