Lionel Richie plans to return for American Idol season 25 amid his health issues.
“Some of my greatest friendships have started right here in Nashville, Tennessee,” Richie, 77, said during a virtual appearance at Luke Bryan’s Nashville concert with Carrie Underwood on Thursday, September 24, per Entertainment Weekly. “That includes you, Carrie and Luke. Do you wanna share our secret?”
Bryan, 50, chimed in, revealing, “We’re coming back for the 25th season of American Idol!”
Richie and Bryan have served as the music competition’s judges since 2018, with season 4 champion Underwood, 43, joining the panel in 2025. The upcoming season is slated to return in 2027 on ABC.
The TV network subsequently announced that longtime host Ryan Seacrest will also be back to send more singing hopefuls off to Georgia, where the show’s production recently moved from Hollywood.
“Guess who’s back 🤭,” a Friday, September 25, Instagram post shared via ABC’s official page read. “Carrie, Luke, Lionel and Ryan are returning for the 25th season of #AmericanIdol 💙.”
While further details about the new Idol season have yet to be revealed, Richie is currently recovering from heart surgery.
“Lionel underwent a common procedure for atrial fibrillation,” the singer’s rep said in a Tuesday, September 22, statement. “The doctor said everything went perfectly. Lionel is doing great, but will take some time off and will be back on stage soon.”
Amid his recovery, Richie canceled the next shows on his Sing a Song All Night Long tour with Earth, Wind & Fire. (Atrial fibrillation is defined as an irregular and often very rapid heartbeat, per the Mayo Clinic, and can lead to blood clots or other heart-related conditions.)
Less than one month earlier, Richie was briefly hospitalized in St. Louis after his concert at the outdoor Muny Theatre. A source close to Richie’s tour told Us at the time that “Lionel wanted to get checked out, so he stayed in St. Louis, but he’s OK.”
Months prior, Richie had ended his St. Paul, Minnesota, concert early after feeling dizzy during the show.
“When you’re feeling dizzy, sit your ass down,” he said in June, taking a seat at the piano before continuing the set.
Richie played his next scheduled gig business as usual, where he addressed the health scare.
“I had you worried there for a minute, huh?” he told the crowd later that month. “You have no idea what I have been through in the last 24 hours, listening to my friends tell me their advice on what I should be doing.”
