Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie Will Return as 'American Idol' Judges for Season 22

Don't worry, American Idol fans — the judges you know and love are coming back for season 22!

On Tuesday, ABC announced Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie will return to the judging table on American Idol next season, which will premiere in spring 2024. Additionally, Ryan Seacrest will be coming back as the show's host.

Hopeful contestants can sign up to audition for the reality competition series starting on Aug. 4 with the return of "Idol Across America," the virtual nationwide search that found last season's winner, Iam Tongi.

They can choose a time slot throughout August and September based on their location or preferred musical genre, with more information available here.

Perry, Bryan and Richie joined the hit show in 2018, when it was revived by ABC following its original 15-season run on Fox. During the most recent season, the "Teenage Dream" singer, 38, sparked backlash among fans for various comments she made to contestants.

In an interview with Fox News last month, Bryan, 46, praised Perry, who he said is used to shaking off negative attention.

"Katy Perry's been dealing with stuff like that her whole career," he said. "We all get it… I mean, we're judging kids that people at home fall in love with. We're not gonna bat 1,000 as judges."

The country star said he believes he and Perry as well as Richie, are often put in a tough position, as it falls to them to be critical of contestants that viewers adore.

"I think we get set up. As judges, you know, we kinda fall on the sword a lot of times," he said. "And get set up to where people can get very vocal on socials and stuff. My thing is, I think when me and Lionel and Katy sit down at the desk, in our hearts, we’re doing the best we can."

Perry was the subject of some heat from viewers this season, which began during auditions, when she joked that contestant Sara Beth Liebe — a mother of three children — had been "laying on the table too much."

Liebe went on to accuse Perry of "mom-shaming" in a TikTok video, and later quit the competition, though the "Firework" singer tried to convince her to stay. Liebe later expressed gratitude toward the show and toward Perry, implying that the two were on good terms.

Then, Perry was booed during an episode of Idol after she told contestant Nutsa Buzaladze to wear less glitter on stage, and also was criticized for not providing feedback to contestant Wé Ani.

Bryan continued to defend Perry in his interview with Fox News, saying the backlash is unwarranted.

“Katy gets picked on for going out and trying to have fun making a TV show,” he said. "It makes me appreciate her even more, just how big of a scale she's had to deal with that her whole career."

Despite his gripes with fan treatment toward Perry, the "Country On" singer had only positive things to say about Idol, saying it would be "a tough show" for the panel "to walk away from."

"We feel like we’re doing beautiful work as a whole, and we felt like this year was what we had all worked together to get to," Bryan said, adding that he will remain a judge as long as "the vibe feels like we’re onward and upward."