Luke Bryan and Bobby Bones Will Return To ‘American Idol’

American Idol fans, rejoice! ABC just announced that country superstar and longtime AI judge Luke Bryan and host of The…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

August 5, 2019

4:36 pm

Luke Bryan; Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images, Bobby Bones; Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images

American Idol fans, rejoice! ABC just announced that country superstar and longtime AI judge Luke Bryan and host of The Bobby Bones Show and AI‘s in-house mentor Bobby Bones have signed on to return for the upcoming season of the hit singing competition. Also returning for the third season of Idol on ABC will be judges Lionel Richie and Katy Perry.

The only Idol star currently missing from the mix is host Ryan Seacrest. The network hopes to lock in a deal with him soon.

“I do not believe he will be missing,” ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “We’re in ongoing conversations with Ryan about returning, and I’m hopeful that he will.”

The upcoming season marks the 18th season of Idol overall and the third on ABC.

“American Idol is the original music competition series,” Burke said in a statement. “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.”

American Idol will return to ABC in the Spring of 2020.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.