Keith Urban has hinted he won’t be returning as a judge on the American Idol reboot.
The country star sat on the panel of the U.S. TV talent show for four years up until it ended in 2016. The show is being revived for a return to screens next year (18), with Katy Perry confirmed as a judge and Ryan Seacrest returning as the presenter, and Keith had been considered a frontrunner for another panel position on the comeback.
However, as he joined wife Nicole Kidman for the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of her new movie The Upside, Keith suggested that he hasn’t signed up for a return to the show.
“I think it’s going to be all new people except for Ryan,” Keith told Us Weekly magazine.
Lionel Richie and Charlie Puth are among the names being bandied around for judging positions on the show, while Shania Twain recently expressed her interest in a spot on the panel.
The singer was a hit as a guest judge on the show back in 2009 and TV bosses have reportedly considered her for a regular role on the show ever since, with Shania admitting her time could be now.
“I would do that,” she told Access Hollywood. “We’ve talked back and forth and it is something that I think I would enjoy.
“I love the whole experience of being with like-minded people who appreciate amazing, upcoming talent. I think that would be a lot of fun… It would be something that I would like to say yes to.”
Shania admitted she loved her time on the show, adding, “It was awesome. I love the whole mentorship concept of… sharing what I know and what I’ve experienced and appreciated the nerves and the tension that this talent is going through.”
