It’s official! Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie will join previously announced judge Katy Perry on the judging panel for the upcoming American Idol reboot, ABC announced on Friday, September 29.
“I’m excited at the chance to help some deserving artists reach their dreams,” country singer Bryan, 41, said in a press release. “To be in a position in my career to help facilitate this along with the other judges is just a complete honor. It’s gonna be a blast!”
“Luke and Lionel are the perfect additions to round out our panel of judges for American Idol on ABC,” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in a statement. “In their respective genres of music, both Luke and Lionel possess insurmountable popularity and award-winning talent that are undeniable, and we are lucky that they will help in paving the way for hopefuls pursuing their dreams on our stage.”
Returning host Seacrest, 42, took to Twitter shortly after the announcement to celebrate:
It’s Twitter official! Welcome to the @AmericanIdol fam @LukeBryanOnline & @LionelRichie! Huge fan of both – this is great news #TheNextIdol
— Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) September 29, 2017
In a follow-up tweet, the TV and radio personality — who previously helmed the singing competition’s 15-season run on Fox from 2002 to 2016 — added:
So who wants to start the @americanidol group chat? @katyperry @lukebryanonline @lionelrichie #TheNextIdol
— Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) September 29, 2017
