Season 23 of American Idol has brought plenty triumph and tears—much of the latter coming from first-time judge Carrie Underwood and inaugural artist-in-residence Jelly Roll. Now, the end is just around the corner, with viewers crowning the show’s next winner during Sunday’s (May 18) finale. Having outlasted hundreds of fellow competitors, Top 3 finalists John Foster, Breanna Nix, and Jamal Roberts are all looking to outsing each other for the cash prize and contract with Hollywood Records. But before we learned the identity of our next champion, judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood delivered a fantastic finale night performance.
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Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood all came by their American Idol roles honestly. Bryan, 48, is a five-time country music Entertainer of the Year with a whopping 30 No. 1 hits. Richie, 75, has collected four Grammy Awards and sold more than 100 million records. And Underwood, 42, is of course one of Idol’s biggest success stories ever, using her season 4 victory as a launching pad to become one of country music’s best-selling women of all time.
However, for a singing reality competition show, the judges rarely sing. Except on finale night, when the highly-decorated trio shared the stage for a moving rendition of Richie’s “Stuck On You.”
Can we talk about how Lionel's voice is still so strong at 75 years old?!? A whole legend #AmericanIdol pic.twitter.com/31HTQxKZ8x
— เ (@mjslovaaaa) May 19, 2025
Clearly, the three of them didn’t get this far in their respective careers by accident.
Stuck on you by the judges is fabulous! #AmericanIdol
— Charlottes web (@shesgotgame16) May 19, 2025
Will Carrie Underwood Return?
Although Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie have been in their current roles since American Idol’s 2018 revival on ABC, Carrie Underwood is sitting on the judging panel for the first time. The season 4 champ replaced Katy Perry, who departed last year after seven seasons.
[RELATED: Where Are They Now? The Winner of Last Season’s ‘American Idol’]
So far, it’s still unclear if Underwood (or her colleagues) will return for season 25. Throughout the season, many social media users noted that the “Before He Cheats” songstress seemed uncomfortable shelling out criticism.
Speaking to TV Insider about the past season, showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick said she feels the judging trio is “in a good place.”
“Obviously, American Idol is coming back as a show, and we already have thousands of submissions coming in for next season. So the momentum is coming, but we’ll have to stay tuned,” she said. “We never share our hand before the end of the season, but it should be coming soon, and we’re excited about the show doing so well.”
Featured image by Eric McCandless/Disney via Getty Images
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