‘American Idol’ Announces Return of Judges, Kick-Off Date for ‘Idol Across America’ Auditions

ABC announced on Tuesday (July 25) that American Idol will be back next year for its seventh go-round on the network (and 22nd season overall), with judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan returning along with OG host Ryan Seacrest.

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Though an exact date for the return of the show that ranked No. 1 in its Sunday (8-10 p.m. ET) time slot among adults 18-49 was not announced, ABC said it will be back in spring 2024. In the meantime, the “Idol Across America” live virtual nationwide search — which was where last season’s winner, Iam Tongi, was discovered — will give wannabe superstars a chance to sing in front of an Idol producer from anywhere in the country.

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The virtual auditions will kick off on August 2 with the First 700 VIP event, in which budding Idols can sign up for a VIP spot before anyone else; for the first time, singers will be allowed to audition under their chosen genre for the first time in IAA history. Click here for information on how to sign up for the virtual auditions.

The announcement comes as production on nearly all non-reality and sports TV programming has ground to a halt due to the dual actors and writers strikes. Idol is produced under the SAG-AFTRA Network Code, which covers talks shows, soap operas, variety, reality, game shows, sports and other non-dramatic primetime TV; that Code is not set to expire until June 2024. In addition, Idol is not covered by any Writers Guild of America agreement, which will pave the way for the show to return even if the dual strikes are not resolved by spring 2024.

Check out the dates for “Idol Across America” auditions (which are subject to change) below; additional dates in the fall will be announced at a later date:

• First 700 VIP Event (Aug 2)

• Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina (Aug 4)

• Florida, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia (Aug 7)

• Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas (Aug 9)

• Open Call: Singer-Songwriters (Aug 11)

• Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Washington (Aug 14)

• Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi ( Aug 16)

• Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maine, New Hampshire (Aug 18)

• Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming (Aug 21)

• Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania (Aug 23)

• Open Call: Country & Rock (Aug 25)

• Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin (Aug 28)

• The South: Open Call Pt. 1 (Aug 30)

• Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Washington D.C. , Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts (Sep 6)

• Open Call: Pop, R&B & Soul (Sep 8)

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