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Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Ryan Seacrest were spotted outside the famous honky tonks on Lower Broadway in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The American Idol judges and longtime host of the show appeared to be hanging out at Bryan’s bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge, and waved at passersby as they exited into a vehicle waiting on the street. iHeartRadio’s The BIG 98, based in Music City, shared a video on the country station’s Instagram story on Wednesday (October 30).
Underwood confirmed over the summer she would join the celebrity judge panel in 2025, following Katy Perry’s departure from the show. Underwood won American Idol in 2005, and has since returned to the competition series as a performer and as a mentor to other contestants. Seacrest previously said it was “a full-circle moment to go from announcing (Underwood) as the winner of [American Idol] 20 years ago to now welcoming you to the judge’s table.”
The Denim & Rhinestones artist, who recently announced her final run of shows in her Las Vegas residency, said during an appearance on Good Morning America that her highly-anticipated return to American Idol “feels like home.”
Underwood will make her debut as a judge when the next season of American Idol premieres in spring 2025. Relive the Grammy-winning country star’s Idol journey in photos here.