Ryan Seacrest will continue as host of American Idol for its upcoming 24th season and ninth on ABC, marking his continued presence as the only on-camera personality to appear in every season of the long-running talent competition. The deal, finalized recently, comes two weeks after judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood renewed their contracts for the 2026 edition of the show.
Seacrest’s return solidifies the core on-screen team as American Idol begins its new production cycle, currently underway with virtual auditions. This renewal follows a pattern of securing host and judge agreements shortly before each season’s launch. His commitment is significant given his 23-year tenure with the franchise, beginning with its original run on Fox.
The latest season of American Idol averaged 7.25 million cross-platform viewers across five weeks of Sunday night episodes,with Monday broadcasts drawing slightly fewer. Linear television viewership (excluding streaming) reached 5.87 million for Sundays and 5.15 million for Mondays, consistent with the previous year’s numbers. The next season is slated to premiere in the first quarter of 2026.
American Idol is produced by Fremantle and 19 Entertainment (a part of Sony pictures Television). Megan Wolflick serves as showrunner and executive producer, alongside 19 Entertainment’s Eli Holzman and aaron Saidman.
