'American Idol' Season 24 adds two fan-favorites as guest mentors and the anticipation is real
When it comes to music-based reality television shows, 'American Idol' is a veritable institution in itself. Ever since its debut season in 2002, the show has focused on discovering the best new musical talent and giving them a platform to shine. The show previously aired on Fox before moving to its current home at ABC. Ryan Seacrest has been hosting the show since its inception, and the current panel of judges includes Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Carrie Underwood, who took over from Katy Perry in 2025. However, the fans should now be ready to see two fresh faces on the show.
Gold Derby has now confirmed that Brad Paisley and Keke Palmer will be joining 'American Idol' season 24 as guest mentors. Paisley and Palmer will be featured in episode 908, 'Top 20 at Disney's Aulani Resort in Hawaii – Part 1,' which is slated to air on March 16, and in episode 909, 'Top 20 at Disney's Aulani Resort in Hawaii – Part 2,' which is supposed to air a week later. During the course of these two episodes, the top 20 contestants will showcase their talent at the Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, located in Ko Olina.
The most recent season of 'American Idol' kicked off on Monday, January 26, and Paisley was in attendance alongside Underwood, Bryan, and Richie. Over the course of 25 years, Paisley has established himself as one of the greatest and most prolific names in country music. His work has been recognized with several prestigious accolades, including three Grammys and two American Music Awards, according to Niagara Frontier Publications. On the other hand, Palmer rose to fame first as a child artist, and then as an Emmy Award-winning television host, actress, and singer.
The currently ongoing season of 'American Idol' presents several important changes and shakeups to its previously established programming format. The highly popular 'Hollywood Week' had been a staple of previous seasons of the show and featured contestants delivering performances that were judged by industry experts across several iconic locations in Los Angeles. This time around, the Hollywood Week would be held in Nashville. Another important change is the addition of a new competition round, which, as previously mentioned, will take place in Hawaii. The traditional Sunday night broadcast slot has been rejected in favour of a new Monday night slot.
Nevertheless, the most important change to be manifested across the ABC show is the concept of social media voting. 'American Idol' showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick had previously explained the concept in an exclusive interview with Deadline when she said, "We have to meet the audience where they are. Back in 2002, when the show began, texting was the new hot thing. We also have to meet the technology where it is, as well. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to vote for their favourites, weigh in from their couch with their second screen, in real time." 'American Idol' season 24 airs new episodes every Monday on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
