Good news, American Idol fans! Long-time host Ryan Seacrest has been confirmed to return for the upcoming 2026 season. Auditions for the new season are currently underway.
Keep reading to find out more…
Ryan‘s return to the long-running reality series isn’t too surprising considering that he has hosted the show every season thus far since its 2002 inception. This upcoming season marks the 24th overall.
The Emmy-winning host isn’t the only one returning for season 24, ABC has also confirmed that Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie will be back as judges.
American Idol is one of the most popular reality competition shows ever. In 2025, the show was dubbed the No. 1 Most Social Reality Series, with over 1.65+ billion social video views this year alone.
Auditions for the 24th season are happening right now as part of “Idol Across America,” a virtual nationwide hunt for the next winner happening across all 50 states and Washington D.C.
American Idol season 24 is expected to premiere sometime early next year on ABC and Hulu.
Original winner Kelly Clarkson recently took to social media to express how she feels about the show after all this time.
Source: justjared.com
