Carrie Underwood is returning to American Idol.
The search for Katy Perry’s replacement is over, as the season 4 winner of the beloved reality competition show has reportedly been confirmed as the next member of the judging panel.
With so many high profile names being floated around to replace Katy, there’s a nice sort of symmetry in Carrie taking the role.
But what about the rest of the panel?
Carrie Underwood (L) and Katy Perry arrive at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center on February 8, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
Carrie Underwood Replaces Katy Perry On American Idol
According to Deadline, who was the first to report the news, Carrie is expected to sit alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan on the panel for Season 25.
There was concern that, after Katy’s unexpected exit from the show last season, ABC would fire Luke and Lionel and start fresh with a whole new panel of judges.
However, so far, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
However, it isn’t a done deal quite yet. According to sources that spoke to TMZ, Carrie and her team are in the final stages of locking her into a contract.
In other words, nailing down her salary and how long they’ll contract her for.
We could learn as early as Friday, August 2nd if the deal is done though; Carrie is set to perform on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Again, love the symmetry; what a great place to make the official announcement!
The Other Choices
For months, the debate over who should replace Katy Perry on Idol has raged on social media.
There were so many names being tossed around, it was honestly hard to keep track!
At one point, Luke Bryan hinted that an all-male panel might be in the works, with Justin Bieber joining the show. THere was also talk of Jelly Roll completing the trio.
Names like Miley Cyrus, Pink, Meghan Trainor, and even Taylor Swift were all being tossed around.
But the one many folks were really hoping for was Adele. As she’s set to wrap up her Las Vegas residency in the fall, the timing would’ve been perfect.
Plus, it would’ve kept her in the spotlight with enough time to work on new music if she wanted to.
Then again, that’s supposedly the reason Katy Perry left the show, so who knows!
Carrie Underwood Replacing Katy Perry On ‘American Idol’ was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.