Lionel Richie Backing Carrie Underwood For Her New ‘American Idol’ Job All Night Long As ‘Knives Sharpened’ Behind Scenes
Carrie Underwood is reportedly replacing Katy Perry on American Idol.
Aug. 21 2024, Published 4:15 p.m. ET
American Idol winner Carrie Underwood is set to return as a judge – and fellow mentor Lionel Richie is ready to welcome her back.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the All Night Long singer thinks bringing back the country music superstar "makes sense".
Lionel Richie is backing the addition of the former American Idol winner to the judge's table.
Richie said: "It makes a lot of sense. She’s been there, done that."
"It’s not someone we have to get used to. And the fact is she has a great story — she came from American Idol."
Underwood shot to stardom after winning the fourth season of the hit singing competition in 2005.
Now, nearly two decades later she is ready to join the judge's panel for season 23, replacing Katy Perry, who departed after the season 22 finale.
Richie, 75, thinks the Before He Cheats singer will be a "great judge".
He said: "As artists, we know how you feel, but we’ve never been in that oval that says, American Idol."
Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Katy Perry (pictured with host, Ryan Seacrest) became judges on season 16.
Richie added Underwood will need to come to the show with a "great sense of humor" because fellow judge Luke Bryan is such a jokester.
He said: "She’s gotta sit next to Luke. All I can say to you is 'Hang on. Probably for the first five or six shows, to see her face and see how she deals with Uncle Luke sitting next to her, saying anything on his mind. I’m gonna love it. I’m loving it!"
Bryan even joked she'll need to "double up" on her therapy sessions to "deal with" her new role."
The 75-year-old's endorsement for Underwood, 41, comes days after sources told RadarOnline.com the enormous pressure from the show could turn her life into chaos.
A source said: "This isn't going to be an easy transition. There are plenty of people who want to see her fall. The pressure is putting Carrie at risk of throwing her life into chaos! And there's already a ton of b----ing and knife sharpening going on ahead of her arrival."
Our source claim things got "rough" for Katy Perry near the end of her run on the hit singing competition.
Our source continued: "This is a huge step up for Carrie as far as putting herself out there to Middle America and she's being paid handsomely for it, but she's under no illusions that it's going to be easy."
"The level of stress that will come along with this is immense."
Perry announced she was leaving American Idol during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
The Roar singer claimed it was work that was getting in the way of her time on Idol, but sources claimed things got "rough" for Perry toward the end of her run.
Carrie Underwood won the fifth season in 2005.
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An insider said: "Things got very rough for Katy in the end, so of course that's got to worry Carrie. She's going to need a very thick skin!"
"But the big question here is whether she's got the temperament to handle the pressure, as the bosses are banking on her to hit the ground running and deliver big ratings."
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