Luke Bryan, Katy Perry & Lionel Richie Returning for ‘American Idol’ Season 18

Meredith Jacobs August 5, 2019, 1:35 pm

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LIONEL RICHIE, KATY PERRY, LUKE BRYAN — ABC/Eric Liebowitz

American Idol‘s judges aren’t going anywhere.

Its second season on ABC (18th overall) dominated Sunday nights and was the night’s number one most social show as it aimed to find untapped talent waiting to be discovered. The series returns for another run in Spring 2020, and ABC announced Monday that music industry legends and all-star judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Richie will be back, as will multimedia personality Bobby Bones as in-house mentor. No word yet on plans for longtime host Ryan Seacrest to return.

“American Idol is the original music competition series,” ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said. “It was the first of its kind to take everyday singers and catapult them into superstardom, launching the careers of so many amazing artists. We couldn’t be more excited for Katy, Luke, Lionel, and Bobby to continue in their roles as American Idol searches for the next great music star, with more live episodes and exciting, new creative elements coming this season.”

“We are delighted to have our judges Katy, Luke, and Lionel as well as in-house mentor Bobby back on American Idol,” executive producer and showrunner Trish Kinane said. “They are all credible, hugely successful artists and will bring their expertise, passion, and energy to the search for America’s next superstar. They have an undeniable chemistry together making for another fun and exciting season!”

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“We are thrilled to have all our judges and Bobby returning for a third season of American Idol on ABC,” Eli Holzman, CEO of Industrial Media, the parent company of 19 Entertainment, said. “Our partners at Fremantle and ABC are delivering our fans some of the best Idol seasons ever produced, and Katy, Luke, and Lionel are inspiring and molding some of the greatest musical talent this show — or any other for that matter — has ever seen. We cannot wait to be introduced to the next crop of stars and we cannot wait to see who will be the next American Idol.”

The new nationwide search for the next superstar began with open call auditions in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday, July 23, and will continue in 21 additional cities across the country, ending in Chicago, Illinois on September 21. Hopefuls who are at least 15 years old can audition in person, submit their videos online, or show off on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter using the hashtag #TheNextIdol.