Will he or won’t he? Keith Urban hinted that he won’t be returning to the judge’s chair when American Idol returns next year.
While Ryan Seacrest is set to host the reboot on ABC, it looks like the country music star — who starred on the Fox singing competition for four years until it ended in 2016 — isn’t joining him.
The Aussie singer, 49, who accompanied wife Nicole Kidman to the Toronto International Film Festival for the opening of her film The Upside on Friday, September 8, told Us Weekly, “I think it’s going to be all new people except for Ryan.”
Katy Perry announced in May that she had officially signed on to be a judge on the reboot, with the Live With Kelly and Ryan host confirming his return in July.
There had been speculation earlier this year that American Idol alums Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson would also be joining the show, but they signed up to be coaches on The Voice instead.
The “Love So Soft” singer, 35, appeared to take a shot at the show that launched her career in 2002, telling Entertainment Weekly earlier this week that Idol’s return may be a bit premature. “It’s a little too soon, because I was pregnant with my son when it ended, and he’s only 1,” she joked.
She went on to say that joining The Voice was a “no-brainer” for her because her husband, Brandon Blackstock, manages fellow Voice coach Blake Shelton and Clarkson and her kids are often on the set of the NBC hit and are used to the show’s schedule.
Still, she added, “I was kind of bummed too when [Idol] came to me. I hope it’s super successful.”
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