American Idol Season 23 will be here before fans know it, and viewers are curious about who they’ll see as judges. The past seven seasons featured country music star Luke Bryan, music legend Lionel Richie, and pop sensation Katy Perry. However, Bryan admitted he’s still “sitting back and waiting” to hear if he’ll rejoin the series as a judge. Here’s what he said.

Luke Bryan says he doesn’t know if he or Lionel Richie will return for ‘American Idol’ Season 23

American Idol Season 22 marked Katy Perry’s final season as a coach on the show. She announced this while speaking to Jimmy Kimmel on his talk show. Once she finished American Idol, Perry said she was heading to Brazil for the Rock in Rio music festival.

“It’s really exciting. It’s a big deal; it’s a big deal for people all over the world, especially for my Brazilian fans,” Perry told Jimmy Kimmel. “But, I think this probably will be my last show, my last season for Idol. I mean, I love Idol so much. It’s connecting me with the heart of America. But, I feel like I need to go out and feel that pulse to my own beat; you know what I’m saying, Jimmy?”

Perry’s announcement left fans wondering what’s next for Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. Bryan told Billboard in July 2024 that he and Richie were still waiting to hear back regarding American Idol Season 23.

“It’s been interesting,” Bryan said. “It’s been something Disney been really tightlipped about with me and Lionel and Ryan. We currently haven’t heard what the story is on who’s coming back, and if Lionel and I are coming back. I think Disney is just trying to figure out what they want to do, and we’re just kind of sitting back and waiting until they decide.”

Bryan told Taste of Country Nights that American Idol only gave him a year-long contract at a time, making each year uncertain.

“I mean, every year we kinda negotiate how we do Idol, and it’s a year commitment. It’s not like I have a five-year contract or anything,” he said. “So, when we start getting into the later stages of Idol, we’ll start deciding whether we come back or not, and that’s how we have done it for seven years.”

A source claimed that the uncertainty is ‘stressful’ for Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan from ‘American Idol’ | Disney/Eric McCandless© Provided by Showbiz Cheat

Luke Bryan appears to keep his cool when asked about his future with American Idol. However, an insider claimed that he and Richie are stressed about their possible futures and who will replace Katy Perry.

“This has been a very stressful time for Luke and Lionel because they’ve been left in the dark about so much — there was even talk producers were going to start fresh with a whole new lineup and give them the boot,” an insider told Life & Style. “That hasn’t happened, so now the next worry is who will join the show.”

‘American Idol’ runner-up Adam Lambert thinks this star would make a perfect judge on the show

Fans hope to see Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie return as American Idol Season 23 judges. Most importantly, viewers wonder who will replace Katy Perry.

During his interview with Billboard, Bryan mentioned several names, such as P!nk, Miley Cyrus, and Meghan Trainor. Bryan and host Ryan Seacrest previously endorsed Trainor as a good pick, and she expressed her excitement about taking on the role. However, it’s still unclear if NBC will choose Trainor as their pick.

Taylor Swift was another rumored name that could replace Perry. However, given Swift’s schedule with “The Eras Tour,” that seems like a pipe dream.

American Idol Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert said who he thinks should replace Perry on Watch What Happens Live. “I think LeAnn Rimes would be great,” he said, according to Entertainment Tonight. “I just worked with LeAnn Rimes down in Australia on The Voice, and she’s so lovely, so down to Earth — very spiritual and deep, but great sense of humor.”