‘American Idol’ Boss Talks ‘Big’ Format Changes, Carrie Underwood & Season 24 Auditions

The search is already underway for the next American Idol heading into Season 9 on ABC (Season 24 overall). Hopefuls have been invited to sign up via the “Idol Across America” website  to receive a virtual audition slot with a producer via Zoom.  They sing live with the potential to receive virtual callbacks or advance straight to in-person and eventually receive a golden ticket to the iconic Hollywood Week. 

Who will be able to sing in front of judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Carrie Underwood?  There are audition days ultimately scheduled for all 50 states, plus Washington D.C. It’s the sixth year the popular singing competition has offered this option, born out of COVID era. 

Showrunner and EP Megan Michaels Wolflick has witnessed the evolution firsthand,  joining the show in 2003 as an associate producer. She is among those with the arduous task finding who goes on to sing for the star-studded panel. Here the EP sets the stage for what’s to come and peels back the curtain for what goes into the audition process. 

What kind of impact having this accessibility for people to audition for American Idol virtually has had  in recent years? 

Megan Michaels Wolflick: Virtual auditions were obviously a product of COVID. Then we didn’t know how it would go. It was a bit of a risk, but it has been amazing. We have had so many more people signing up who would have never auditioned because it was really just clicking a link. In the past, you would have had to sign up, come down, wait for hours, sing in front of a lot of other people. Where now you can audition from your car, from your job, from your car, from anywhere at any time. The time commitment is less. The comfortability factor is less. We get to really have an insight on people’s lives we have never had access to before. 

What is the experience for someone who auditions like? 

We have gone to Zoom. When we did that we said, “hey, could you build out a virtual convention center for us?” This means we have a giant waiting waiting room where all the contenders come in and wait for their shot. Then we feed all of them into 10 breakout rooms where producers wait to see who has that one-on-one, face-to-face audition. It’s a two-step process. You come in. We usually have a former Idol or former winner come in to answer questions and make them feel comfortable. We have a master of ceremonies who plays videos and clips and music. Then you are sent to the one-on-one audition where you get to sing for a producer. And if you make it through that, you come to sing for me. If you make it through that, we take you to sing with Carrie, Luke and Lionel. 

Every year the talent gets better and better. What are you looking for these days? 

Personally, I always ask myself one simple question. Will I be excited to hear from this person again? It’s 2 o’clock. We’ve been doing auditions for six hours. Everyone is tired. When this person walks into the room, are you going to be like, “yes.” It’s a real instinctual process. We are looking for true artists. We are a television show, but I really do feel it’s the big leagues of the music. This is a way to break into the music industry. Take Jamal for instance, who clicked a link last year and now he is going on tour with Brandy and Monica. How would he ever have access to that in less than a year if it weren’t for Idol and auditioning? 

What are some of the interesting backdrops you’ve seen these hopefuls check in from? 

Gosh, I love that question. The back of a FedEx truck, someone’s barn. We’ve had people from that diner in New York City with all the singing waiters and waitresses [Ellen’s Stardust Diner]. Literally, on their shift as singing waiters taking us through the audition in New York City. I’ve had people audition from India and South Africa. Yesterday we had someone who was in Johannesburg and studying abroad. Again, we’re getting all over the world, all different time zones. I auditioned a guy last night all the way from Melbourne, Australia. We literally get from a penthouse to a pig farm. We have all the things. That’s what is fun about it. 

I feel like this could be put into a reality show in itself. 

That’s the beauty of it. If someone says, “I’m singing this song for my grandma.” And we ask, “where’s your grandma?” If she is in the next room, we may ask to go grab her to come in and meet her. As a living, breathing audition, I always have people take us on home tours when they’re singing. Let’s meet your son outside on his bike. It really is super fun to move around, be mobile and flexible. I love it. 

You mentioned different countries. You can literally sign up for a state like Florida, but not be there. 

You can literally audition any day [out of what slots are available]. The states are fun because it gives us some context, but you can audition any time, anywhere, any state, and any part of the world. 

What’s one of your most memorable virtual auditions that did well in the competition? 

I would say Noah Thompson, who won the show a couple of years ago. He was from our early days of “Idol Across America.” His coworker Arthur [Johnson] signed him up, and they were literally on the job when he auditioned. He was working construction and all his construction buddies were there. He sang. He didn’t even know he had an audition because his buddy just signed him up. He was bewildered like, “what am I doing here.” Then it became sing for American Idol. That was a really special raw moment where you saw someone in this moment. It was magical. 

How much time does someone have to wait before they hear if they make it? 

There are a couple of different verdicts. Sometimes we tell them on the spot right then and there. They may audition in the morning like we had people from California, Hawaii and some other states. They will audition for producers. I will see them in an hour and then tell them then and there they made it through to the judges. Other people we kind of put into consideration and do big reviews every other week where we go through all the people we’ve seen and decide to upgrade them on or feel they may need another year type of thing. Everyone will usually hear within two weeks. 

Do you feel an uptick in auditions? 

Massively. The other wrinkle in all this is for the first time since 2019 we did in-person auditions at the CMA Fest in June. That was wild because we had a massive crowd who came to that. They were actually people who said to me that they would never have auditioned on Zoom and only came because it was in person. That was fun because we hadn’t seen a line in person so long. The demand is big. I feel this season people were tapped into last season’s talent. They were fans of Jamal, Breanna [Nix] and Gabby [Samone] and that’s why they auditioned. I feel like that hasn’t happened in a lot of years. The fact they auditioned because of what they saw the past season.

What do you make of this talent pool this season so far? 

Honestly, you never know what you’re going to get. It’s like Christmas morning where there are all these gifts under the tree. I will say there are some really strong talents. We have everyone’s videos in a collated file. When I get excited and start watching people’s videos over and over again, that’s exciting. We have awesome people this year. We had a girl who was living in Puerto Rico and she wanted to come be on Idol more than anything. She knew she had to come to the states to get that started, so she literally Googled where can I work in the United States that pays for my food and housing. She found a place in Death Valley National Park. So, she literally auditioned from Death Valley. She is incredible. From Puerto Rico to Death Valley to American Idol, it’s incredible. 

 

What can you tell us about what’s coming next season? 

We do have some changes. I can’t really get into any details, but we do have some big format changes coming for sure. There are going to be some surprises around every turn for sure. 

Carrie returns for a second season on the judging panel. What is it like having her back? 

I think she is so tapped into the experience. She got her feet wet last year, but what I do love about her is she is invested. She is in it and cares so much about all the finalists who come through the door. She is only going to get better. She works her butt off on this show. I’m so proud. It’s awesome because I was on the show when she was. We’re around the same age. When we were on the show together back then, we were all very close as producers. Now to have her come full circle back is pretty epic. 

And have her build her dynamic with Lionel and Luke. 

And have her build her identity too. It wasn’t like she was filling someone else’s role.  She needed to make her own role. What was that role going to be? What could she bring to the table? I think she really has brought something special and relatable. 

What’s your advice to those auditioning? 

Be yourself. There is a lot of noise out there. A lot of comments and doom scrolling and people getting in their heads a lot of the time. There is nothing better than taking a deep breath, chilling and relaxing. There is so much pressure around you, which can trip you up. Honestly, just follow your heart. It’s so cliché, but it’s true. Following your heart. Follow your instincts. Pick a song you want to sing and be prepared. That’s the thing too. This is a job interview. You have to prepare for it. So if I ask what else you have or if you have a more contemporary song, be ready to go with that. 

Having been there from the early days, what do you see for the future of the show? 

Idol is more than a show. It’s really an experience and something people are training for their whole lives for watching the show. Every class, every year we get better and better talent. I just want to make sure people are excited, because we are all only on once a year. It is event-like. Obviously people on the radio are excited the NFL is back. It’s exciting. I want us to be the same thing when American Idol is back. It’s the next generation and next class. Who can we get behind? Who will get us invested? This show to me has never become old. It’s so exciting every year. Someone is turning 15 every single day. There will always be amazing talent, and I feel so privileged we get to listen to them. 

American Idol, Season 24 Premiere, 2026, ABC