Update!

Luke Bryan & Lionel Richie Officially Join American Idol as Judges

ABC's revival of the singing competition finally has a full judging panel!

By Billy Nilles, Meg Swertlow Sep 29, 2017 7:10 PMTags
Lionel Richie, Luke BryanChristopher Polk/ACMA2012/Getty Images for ACM

UPDATE: Shortly after Bryan announced his participation, ABC announced that Lionel Richie would be occupying the third judges chair when the singing competition debuts in 2018!

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The American Idol revamp is going a little bit country!

Country star Luke Bryan is joining Katy Perry at the American Idol judges' table, the singer confirmed on Twitter. "It's official," he wrote. Additionally, he attached a longer video of himself making the statement. Check it out below! And that's not all the news! Lionel Richie will be joining the pair, rounding out the judges panel.

Open auditions for the AI re-vamp on ABC are set to start any day now and the time was winding down to fill the highly coveted (and lucrative) judges' seats. Perry's position was nailed down in May.

As for his creds, Bryan has released five albums since 2007. The country crooner's last three albums debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Album charts. On Oct. 18, the "Huntin', Fishin' & Lovin' Every Day" singer will be honored on CMT's "Artists of the Year" special, along with Chris Stapleton, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, and Urban.

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Ranking All of American Idol's Judges

"I'm excited at the chance to help some deserving artists reach their dreams," said Bryan in a statement released by the network. "To be in a position in my career to help facilitate this along with the other judges is just a complete honor. It's gonna be a blast!"

 "I am very excited to be joining Katy, Luke and Ryan on American Idol," Richie added. "As a singer, songwriter and producer, I feel I can bring a great deal of experience to the table. It's going to be so much fun!"

"Luke and Lionel are the perfect additions to round out our panel of judges for ‘American Idol' on ABC," said Channing Dungey, president of ABC Entertainment . "In their respective genres of music, both Luke and Lionel possess insurmountable popularity and award-winning talent that are undeniable, and we are lucky that they will help in paving the way for hopefuls pursuing their dreams on our stage."

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Ryan Seacrest Is Officially Returning as American Idol's Host

At the ABC Upfronts in May, the network announced it would be bringing back Idol, which went off the air after 15 seasons in 2016. Soon after, news hit that Perry had signed on to be the first judge on the wildly popular competition show, which had previously aired on Fox. Later, details emerged that the "Roar" singer nabbed a $25 million salary for her seat.

"I am honored and thrilled to be the first judge bringing back the American Idol tradition of making dreams come true for incredible talents with authentic personalities and real stories," Perry said in a statement at the time.

"I'm always listening to new music, and love discovering diamonds in the rough—from mentoring young artists on my label, or highlighting new artists on my tours, I want to bring it back to the music.

Additionally, Ryan Seacrest is returning to the show to host once again. In July, the Live with Kelly and Ryan co-host announced he'd be returning.

"Very exciting," Seacrest said on the show. "First of all, I don't know if you've ever been in a 15 year relationship and for a reason you really don't know you break up…I thought, 'Gosh, it'd be great to get back together at some point…"

"You make that show, you are the heart and soul," Ripa said.

Over the weekend, the Idol host said at the iHeartRadio Music Festival that fans should expect an announcement about the two remaining judges' spots in the very near future.

American Idol is slated to premiere on ABC in early March.