Carrie Underwood is headed to American Idol to take her seat behind the judges’ desk following the departure of longtime choose Kary Perry — and Idol showrunner and government producer Megan Wolflick is opening up concerning the present’s casting selection.
On Thursday, hours after ABC introduced the information, ET’s Denny Directo spoke with Wolflick who defined why Underwood is the proper selection and the way the “stars aligned” to make the choice much more particular.
“Well, it is 20 years since she auditioned in St. Louis for American Idol, and to have the first ever Idol alum on the panel has always been something that’s been interesting to me,” Wolflick shared. “She is our queen, she is our icon of American Idol.”
Underwood was topped the champion of American Idol season 4 again in 2005 — the identical yr she launched her debut solo album Some Hearts, which bought 7.5 million copies and have become one of the best promoting album of 2006. Within the years since, she’s gone on to promote over 85 million information worldwide, with seven albums licensed multi-platinum by the RIAA with 28 Billboard No. 1s underneath her belt.
“We have been searching, you know, and obviously talking to Carrie for a little bit here,” she defined. “It has been a little over 2 months since the [season 22] finale, but these talks have been going on for a while and we’ve been really excited to make it all happen.”
ABC introduced on Thursday that the nation songstress shall be becoming a member of returning judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan — in addition to returning host Ryan Seacrest — for the forthcoming season 23 of Idol.
In actual fact, Wolflick defined that the choice is especially thrilling for Seacrest, who has been the host for each season of the present since its debut.
“Ryan couldn’t be more excited, since he has been there every step of the way with Carrie,” Wolflick stated. “He was like just over the moon about it. And the guys are so excited, too. I mean obviously they both know her, they’re excited to work with her.”
“It’s a new era of the show and every new chapter of American Idol,” the longtime showrunner exclaimed. “When we open up that first page, it is just as exciting as closing a chapter, and I cannot wait to embark on this journey with our first Idol alum with the panel.”
Perry had been a choose on Idol because it was revived on ABC in 2018 for a sixteenth season. She introduced she was leaving the present after seven seasons again in February whereas sitting down with Jimmy Kimmel.
In April, Perry spoke with ET on the carpet after a stay episode of Idol, and dished on her purpose for exiting the hit actuality singing competitors sequence.
“I’m just trying to make space for other things,” she defined.
“It’s not like me ending this show means I’m going to go retire on an island, even though that would be fabulous,” Perry added. “I’m gonna go to work.”
Perry’s sixth studio album, titled 143, will debut on Sept. 20 through Capitol Information. It’ll mark her first album since 2020’s Smile.
Its first single and video, “Girl’s World,” dropped on July 11.
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