Ryan Seacrest definitely knows how to keep a secret. Now in his 24th season of hosting “American Idol,” Seacrest always knows before anyone else on stage who’s going home. But he’s also privy to planned surprises no one else knows about — like the unannounced duet by rock legend Billy Idol and judge Carrie Underwood that opened this week’s show.
On April 15, 2026, executive producer Megan Michaels Wolflick spilled on the new “American Idol” post-show podcast that sometimes there’s a “secret script” that Seacrest and only a handful of others behind the scenes receive.
Megan Michaels Wolflick Says Rock & Roll Show Was Full of ‘Craziness’
Wolflick, who’s worked behind the scenes on “American Idol” since its second season, sat down with podcast host Danielle Fishel right after the whirlwind Rock & Roll Hall of Fame episode, during which the Top 9 were revealed.
In addition to the “exciting surprise” of the show opener, Wolflick also had to coordinate Seacrest and judge Lionel Richie’s announcement of which stars had made the 2026 inductee list for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Sitting down with Fishel, Wolflick said she was in the “come down” phase of the night after the “rush” of the live show, noting, “It gets crazy. It’s adrenaline. There’s so many things going on, you know? We had a secret script, we had the real script, there was a lot going on. A lot of craziness.”
Fishel’s ears perked up at the mention of a secret script and exclaimed, “I need all the details on a secret script. This is off the book, but you mentioned ‘secret script’ and now I wanna know! Who gets to know what’s on the secret script?”
Laughing, Wolflick didn’t share too much, but acknowledged, “I mean, a few of us … we have code words and we have things … and you know, there’s a lot going on.”
Megan Michaels Wolflick Explains Why Saying Goodbye to ‘American Idol’ Contestants Hasn’t Gotten Easier
Another closely guarded secret is which contestants are being sent home each night, which Wolflick knows and has to pass along to Seacrest right before he announces the voting results at the end of each episode. Although it’s all business in that moment as they exchange the secret info, she admitted to Fishel that she’s had a hard time over the years seeing talented contestants get sent home — especially “back in the day” when she was new to the show.
“I remember Ricky was eliminated, probably my second week — Ricky Smith, may he rest in peace,” Wolflick said of the season two contestant who was killed by a drunk driver in 2019. “And I remember all of us backstage after the show was over, hysterically crying. And I think one of the EPs at the time walked over and said, ‘You you can’t cry like this every week.'”
Wolflick said it’s “an emotional roller coaster,” but she’s learned to control her emotions, telling Fishel, “You have to hold it together for them, too, ’cause they’re going through a lot, you know? And it doesn’t get any easier.”
“But at the same time, now I see things a little differently,” she continued. “I tell people when they come off the show, ‘Now is your chance. Millions of people have seen you. Now is your time to shine.’ So, I see it now (that) it used to be a negative. I think now it’s a positive.”
“American Idol” airs each Monday night, with the live Disney-themed show slated for April 20 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
