‘American Idol’: Will Ryan Seacrest Return as Host for Season 4?

ABC has already renewed American Idol for Season 4, but whether the current roster of talent will return is still up in the air. While Season 4 is definitely on the way, host Ryan Seacrest, as well as judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie are all currently unsigned, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

This is the second year in a row that the singing competition series has been renewed ahead of re-signing Seacrest or the judges. They all returned to their roles eventually, first all three judges signed on in August of 2019, with Seacrest following a month later. In 2018, the host was previously reported to make about $12 million per season, the same as Bryan. Perry was making the most at $25 million per season, while Richie was taking in $10 million.

The series has also undergone a total revamp due to the coronavirus pandemic by pivoting to remote webcasts from everyone’s homes — including its numerous contestants. In April, Perry took to Facebook Live to talk about the show’s mid-season pivot, which was put in place to help slow the spread of coronavirus. “Well, I think that we’re all gonna have to be very creative,” Perry said. “Know that we’re going to get really creative and you’ll just have to be tuning into that creativity that we are probably going to create from our individual homes. We’ll see how this goes.”

These changes will mean that the Season 3 finale will be the first of its kind, with contestants singing for approval from the comfort of their homes. Along with the usual competition, the Sunday finale will feature performances by judges Perry and Bryan, as well as Rascal Flatts, Lauren Daigle and Cynthia Erivo, who’ll sing a medley of Aretha Franklin songs. Richie, meanwhile, will lead a version of “We Are the World” with Season 3’s top 11 singers, his two fellow judges along with past Idol contestants. The roster will include Alejandro Aranda, Fantasia, Gabby Barrett, Jordin Sparks, Katharine McPhee, Kellie Pickler, Laine Hardy, Lauren Alaina, Phillip Phillips, Ruben Studdard and Scotty McCreery.

The show’s last remaining contestants include Julia Gargano, Arthur Gunn, Dillon James, Just Sam, Louis Knight, Francisco Martin and Johnny West. They’ll compete for the top spot when the Season 3 finale of American Idol will air Sunday at 8 p.m. on ABC.