Good news, American Idol fans! Long-time host Ryan Seacrest has been confirmed to return for the upcoming 2026 season. Auditions for the new season are currently underway.

Ryan ‘s return to the long-running reality series isn’t too surprising considering that he has hosted the show every season thus far since its 2002 inception. This upcoming season marks the 24th overall.

The Emmy-winning host isn’t the only one returning for season 24, ABC has also confirmed that Carrie Underwood , Luke Bryan , and Lionel Richie will be back as judges.

American Idol is one of the most popular reality competition shows ever. In 2025, the show was dubbed the No. 1 Most Social Reality Series, with over 1.65+ billion social video views this year alone.

Auditions for the 24th s

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