Carrie Underwood is coming home.
The “American Idol” Season 4 winner and country music superstar, 41, will replace Katy Perry as a judge on the ABC singing competition series next spring.
“This upcoming season marks 20 years since Carrie won America’s hearts on ‘Idol’ and launched her successful, multi-Grammy Award-winning career,” Disney Television Group president Craig Erwich said in a statement Thursday.
“As a former ‘Idol’ and dynamic musical force, she brings a remarkably unique perspective to one of the most popular shows on television. This is a full-circle moment both for the show and audiences at home who have been tuning in for over two decades. Welcome home, Carrie.”
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Perry, 39, shocked fans in February when she revealed she was leaving the show.
“I love ‘Idol’ so much,” she said on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” at the time. “It’s connected me with the heart of America, but I feel like I need to go out and feel that pulse to my own beat.”
The Grammy nominee has since announced that she will release a new album, titled “143,” in September.
Perry made her debut on the “American Idol” judging panel in 2018 alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie after the Ryan Seacrest-hosted show moved from Fox to ABC for its 16th season.
Pvnew exclusively reported at the time that Perry had landed a $25 million salary, more than double Bryan’s and Richie’s paychecks, because she appealed to “a younger audience” and had a “huge social media following.”
The pay disparity did not cause issues among the judges, however, as they got along swimmingly on the air during their seven seasons together.
nal event." >Bryan, 48, even rushed to Perry’s defense after she received backlash from viewers last year for harshly judging multiple Season 21 contestants.
“Katy gets picked on for going out and trying to have fun making a TV show,” the “One Margarita” singer told Fox News in June 2023, adding that his colleague’s thick skin made him “appreciate her even more.”
For his part, Richie, 75, praised Perry as “humorous” and “knowledgeable” on “Kimmel” in February before voicing his support for her decision to “take some time and actually be an artist” after her “Idol” run.
