There is a lot of excitement surrounding Carrie Underwood’s upcoming return to American Idol as a judge. While we won’t see that premiere date on the 2024 TV schedule, current and former members of the panel have continued to share their thoughts on the Season 4 winner being chosen as Katy Perry’s replacement. Now Kelly Clarkson — another of American Idol’s most famous contestants — has spoken out. After the Season 1 winner’s name was thrown out as a possibility, Clarkson said she wasn’t interested. So how does she feel about the gig going to another champion?
Kelly Clarkson has paid it forward, so to speak, after finding fame on American Idol’s first season back in 2002, as she served as a coach on The Voice for nine seasons from 2018-2023. She therefore knows exactly how beneficial it is to the contestants to have a person with competition experience in that position of power. When asked about Carrie Underwood’s new job on Idol, Clarkson excitedly told E! News:
I think that's brilliant. Like, what better person to have—somebody that's won that show to come back. To be able to have gone through it all and then have such a huge career like her, that's invaluable. I think she’s going to do great.
After Katy Perry became the most recent judge to leave American Idol, Kelly Clarkson’s name was floated by Lionel Richie as a possible replacement, though it’s unknown if ABC went so far as to reach out. Either way, the “Since U Been Gone” singer confirmed she wouldn’t be joining Idol, citing her move to the East Coast and not wanting to leave her kids, which effectively eliminates any job in Los Angeles for the time being.
Luckily for the upcoming American Idol contestants, they’ll reap the benefits of someone with a similar experience, as Carrie Underwood came through the show just a few years after Kelly Clarkson. Thinking of those future hopefuls, the OG winner said:
To have somebody to look at and go, 'OK, they've done it and they're sitting right there. So, that means I am capable of doing it. I can dream that big.'
Carrie Underwood herself talked about what a dream American Idol is for its contestants and her judging philosophy is to be honest but kind. Simon Cowell — who was a judge alongside Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson on Underwood’s season — agreed that honesty is key, calling the Season 4 winner a “good choice” for the show. Jackson also had a sweet reaction to the full-circle moment, recalling Underwood’s audition as one of his all-time favorites.
Keith Urban, another former judge, similarly called the “Blown Away” singer the “perfect” choice, pointing out that she brings a perspective that Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan don’t have. Richie agreed, saying they don’t know what it’s like to be on that stage, and he thinks her return after 20 years is a “great story.”
No premiere date has been announced for American Idol Season 23, but the series typically premieres in February. With so much enthusiasm surrounding Carrie Underwood’s debut, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kelly Clarkson is parked in front of the TV when that day comes.
