Ryan Seacrest to Return for ‘American Idol’ Season 3 on ABC

By Joe Otterson

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Ryan Seacrest will return as the host of “American Idol” for the music competition’s third season on ABC.

Seacrest will also continue hosting and executive producing “On Air with ,” his nationally syndicated L.A. morning drive-time radio show. He also serves as co-host and executive producer on ’s “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” as well as ABC’s annual live show “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.”

The news comes after it was announced in August that the judging panel of Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie would all be returning for the new season of “” as well. Seacrest has been with “American Idol” since it launched on Fox back in 2002.

“’American Idol’ has been my home for 17 seasons and I can’t wait to return to the stage,” said Seacrest. “It’s the greatest gift to be able to play a part in discovering new talent with a franchise that has been such a relevant part of American culture for so many years.”

The new season of “American Idol” will launch in spring 2020.

“We are delighted that our entire ‘Idol’ dream team will be reuniting for the upcoming season on ABC,” said Karey Burke, president of ABC Entertainment. “Ryan has been hosting ‘Idol’ since the beginning, and the energy and enthusiasm he brings to the show after 17 seasons are remarkable. We can’t wait to see what’s in store as Ryan, our superstar judges and in-house mentor set out on their nationwide search for the next great music sensation.”

“American Idol” is produced by Fremantle and Industrial Media’s 19 Entertainment. Fremantle’s Trish Kinane serves as showrunner, with Jennifer Mullin and Megan Wolflick also executive producing along with Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman for 19 Entertainment. Fremantle distributes the series worldwide.