American Idol fans are in for a treat! Carrie Underwood just pulled up a seat at the judges’ table!

On August 1, ABC announced that Carrie, the fan-favorite winner of American Idol season four, is returning to the franchise, this time as a judge. She will be replacing Katy Perry and sitting alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, both of whom are thrilled about the news.

“It makes a lot of sense,” Lionel told E! News. “It’s not someone we have to get used to. And the fact that she has a great story, she came from American Idol… What a great judge. Now we don’t have to explain anymore, ‘We know how you feel.’ As artists, we know how you feel, but we’ve never been in that oval that says, ‘American Idol.’ She’s been there, done that.”

Meanwhile, Luke has a little advice for the “Before He Cheats” singer. When Audacy’s 100.7 The Wolf, a Seattle radio station, asked him to dish his best advice for her, Luke joked, “Up her therapist—if she has a therapist, she’s probably going to have to double to deal with me and Lionel…Maybe I should credit her. Do therapists do gift cards where I can call her therapist and gift her a voucher?”

Carrie will be joining the judges’ table for Season Eight, which is set to premiere in spring 2025 on ABC and Hulu.

“This upcoming season marks 20 years since Carrie won America’s hearts on ‘Idol’ and launched her successful multi-GRAMMY Award-winning career,” Craig Erwich, president, Disney Television Group, said in a statement. “As a former Idol and dynamic musical force, she brings a remarkably unique perspective to one of the most popular shows on television. This is a full-circle moment both for the show and audiences at home who have been tuning in for over two decades. Welcome home, Carrie.”

Meanwhile, Carrie couldn’t be more elated to step back onto this set, this time on the other side of the competition show.

“It feels like home,” she said on Good Morning America. “There are so many people who still work on the show that were there when I was a contestant, so—and I feel like being on both sides of the coin, I’ll be able to hopefully offer some insight and help and kind of a different viewpoint.”