Ryan Seacrest is an American Idol mainstay. Hosting the reality competition show since its 2002 inception, the Georgia native has had a front-row seat to Idol’s biggest success stories. Now, Seacrest is welcoming perhaps the show’s greatest triumph back to the set. Idol officially announced Thursday (Aug. 1) that season 4 winner Carrie Underwood will replace Katy Perry on the judging panel. And the longtime host had a heartfelt message for Idol’s newest judge.
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Ryan Seacrest: “Welcome Home, Carrie”
On May 25, 2005, Ryan Seacrest declared Carrie Underwood the winner of season 4 of American Idol—forever changing both Underwood’s life and the landscape of country music.
Twenty years, eight GRAMMY Awards, and 85 million record sales later, the “Velvet Heartbreak” singer is taking her place on the judging panel.
[RELATED: Carrie Underwood Almost Didn’t Follow Through With ‘American Idol’ Audition]
Idol officially confirmed the news Thursday (Aug. 1). Ryan Seacrest took to X/Twitter to share a throwback picture of him standing beside Underwood after her winning moment.
“It’s a full-circle moment to go from announcing you as the winner of @AmericanIdol 20 years ago to now welcoming you to the judge’s table,” the TV personality wrote. “Welcome home, @carrieunderwood !”
Idol viewers expressed their excitement at seeing the season 4 champ return to her roots. “Full circle indeed!” wrote one X/Twitter user. “Excited to see Carrie Underwood take on the judge’s role!”
Another X/Twitter user added, “I voted every single week 20 years ago and am still a fan today. PERFECT CHOICE for the next judge. You’ll amazing, Carrie. Cant wait to watch Idol again.”
The “Something in the Water” singer dropped into Ryan Seacrest’s Instagram comments to express her gratitude. “Thank you Ryan!” she wrote. “Excited to be coming back home!”
The show’s official Instagram account also chimed in. “IDOL kids all grown up!” it wrote. “Love you both!!”
‘Idol’ Stars Reminisce About Katy Perry’s Reign
The judging trio of Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie have been together since ABC decided to revive the series in 2018. Shortly before Perry’s final episode, Ryan Seacrest looked back fondly on his time working with the “Woman’s World” singer.
“It’s been a fantastic seven years with her, so sad to see her go,” he said. “We all know each other very, very well. The judges have such an amazing chemistry but the show, through its existence, has always evolved into the next chapter and we’re gonna do it again.”
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