Carrie Underwood is going back to her American Idol roots as a judge following Katy Perry’s exit.
ABC confirmed the news on Thursday, August 1, with a throwback video showcasing Underwood’s intro package on the show 20 years ago.
“I went from nobody knowing my name to tens of million of people watching the show,” the singer said in the announcement video. “I’m proud of everything that I was able to accomplish on the show and I’m so proud of everything I’ve accomplished since.”
The minute-long clip broke down all of Underwood’s accolades over the years, including 85 million records sold worldwide, 28 No. 1 singles, eight Grammy Awards, 17 American Music Awards, 10 People’s Choice Awards and seven CMA awards.
Underwood, 41, will join Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan on the panel for season 23. The country singer is no stranger to the American Idol stage, winning the competition in 2005.
Since her victory, Underwood has returned to the series on multiple occasions with her most recent appearance as one of the season 16 mentors.
“I learned a lot, I learned an insane amount,” Underwood said of her experience on American Idol during an interview with the Must Watch Show in May 2022. “And so much of that is still applied today, it still holds true to what I do now. It was star boot camp and I was trying to soak in as much as I possibly could and, obviously, it launched my career.”
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Earlier this year, Perry, 39, subtly revealed that season 22 would be her last.
“I think this probably will be my last show, my last season for Idol,” she said during a February appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. “I mean, I love Idol so much. It’s connected me with, like, the heart of America, but I feel like I need to go out and feel that pulse to my own beat, you what I’m saying?”
When Kimmel, 56, asked Perry how her fellow judges felt about her leaving, she confessed that she had yet to share the news with them at the time.
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“Well, they’ll find out tonight,” she quipped. “They know that I have some things planned for this year.”
Before news broke that Underwood would be stepping in as a judge, many stars were rumored to be in the running including Jelly Roll, Meghan Trainor, fellow Idol alum Kelly Clarkson and more. Earlier this month, Bryan, 47, shared that the search for a new judge had been an “interesting” process.
“It’s been something Disney has been really tightlipped about with me and Lionel and Ryan [Seacrest]. We currently haven’t heard what the story is on who’s coming back, and if Lionel and I are coming back,” he said in an interview with Billboard. “I think Disney is just trying to figure out what they want to do and we’re just kind of sitting back and waiting until they decide. I think they’re just working real hard to find somebody that can really come in and do the job that Katy did.”
