Ryan Seacrest Celebrates Carrie Underwood's 'Full-Circle' Return to American Idol: 'Welcome Home'

Ryan Seacrest and Carrie Underwood go way back to 2005, when Seacrest helped introduce her to the world on American Idol'.

Now, after winning the show, securing eight career Grammys and solidifying herself as a country superstar, she and Seacrest are about to officially become co-workers.

On Thursday, Aug. 1, Underwood was announced as Idol's next judge, taking over for Katy Perry and joining a panel already consisting of Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie — a change that Seacrest, now 49, is calling "full circle."

"It’s a full-circle moment to go from announcing you as the winner of [American Idol] 20 years ago to now welcoming you to the judge’s table," Seacrest wrote on Instagram shortly after the announcement. "Welcome home, @carrieunderwood !"

In his post shared on Thursday, Seacrest uploaded two different snaps of himself and Underwood, 41, over the years. The first showed the pair during the finale of the show's fourth season, when Underwood bested singer-songwriter Bo Bice for the title. The second image featured the pair on stage in 2016, during the show's final season on Fox. The series was revived by ABC in March 2018.

Underwood became the first former contestant to join the judge's panel when her name was revealed on Good Morning America, alongside a clip of her leaving her hometown of Checotah, Oklahoma to audition for the show nearly two decades ago. "I remember being at home in our little house and seeing on TV that there were auditions in St. Louis. My mom said, 'If you want to go, I'll drive you,' " Underwood said in the clip. "I went from nobody knowing my name to tens of millions of people watching the show."

She added that she was "proud of everything that I was able to accomplish on the show, and I'm so proud of everything that I've accomplished since."

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As a recording artist, Underwood has sold 85 million records worldwide, and her list of accolades includes 17 American Music Awards, ten People's Choice Awards and seven CMA Awards. Underwood has previously performed on Idol in the past as a guest, and recently returned in 2022 to serve as a mentor for the season 20 semifinals. Season 23 is set to premiere in Spring 2025 with Seacrest again serving as host.

"This upcoming season marks 20 years since Carrie won America's hearts on Idol and launched her successful multi-Grammy Award-winning career, As a former Idol and dynamic musical force, she brings a remarkably unique perspective to one of the most popular shows of television," Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group, said in a press release.

"This is a full-circle moment both for the show and for audiences at home who have been tuning in for over two decades. Welcome home Carrie."

Ever since Perry revealed in February that the latest season of Idol would be her last, fans have been speculating over who would take her place on the panel. Bryan even teased a potential next judge during an interview with Billboard in July, sharing that "Pink has been in the talks, Miley Cyrus has been in the talks, Meghan Trainor has been in the talks."

“It’s been interesting,” he said at the time. “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.”