Carrie Underwood is ending 2024 on a high note. The global superstar has been announced as the headliner for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025, taking place on New Year’s Eve in New York City. Her performance will air on ABC, beginning at 8:00 PM ET, and stream the next day on Hulu.

“I have such fun memories of performing on New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in Times Square in both 2007 and 2015, and I’m so excited to perform just before the ball drops again this year,” Underwood says. “I’m thrilled to celebrate 20 years since winning American Idol by joining Ryan as he hosts his 20th New Year’s Eve in Times Square.”

Seacrest will mark his 20th anniversary as host of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025. This year, Seacrest will share hosting duties with Rita Ora. Other performers for the show include Cody Johnson, Megan Moroney, Thomas Rhett, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Lenny Kravitz, Teddy Swims and Tinashe.

Seacrest and Underwood are working together on more than just Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2025. The two, who met when Underwood won Season 4 of American Idol in 2005, are back together again, this time with Underwood serving as a judge for the reality TV talent show, alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.

“It feels like home,” Underwood tells Good Morning America, speaking of returning to American Idol. “There are so many people that even still work on the show that were there when I was a contestant. And I feel like being on both sides of the coin, I’ll be able to hopefully offer some insight and help and kind of offer a different viewpoint.”

The 41-year-old promises to be fair and honest with all of the contestants, perhaps even to a fault.

“I do have a big problem … I can’t lie. I just can’t,” Underwood maintains. “You can tell. I feel like I’ll be very honest, but hopefully I can be very constructive and encouraging.”

It was American Idol that changed everything for Underwood, going from a small-town college student to a household name.

 

“I remember being at home in our little house in Checotah, and seeing on TV that there were auditions in St. Louis. My mom said, ‘If you want to go, I’ll drive you,’” Underwood said in a video announcing her return.

“I went from nobody knowing my name to tens of millions of people watching the show.,” she continued. “I’m proud of everything that I was able to accomplish on the show, and I’m so proud of everything that I’ve accomplished since.”

Both Bryan and Richie have been vocal about their support of Underwood joining them at the judges’ table, filling the spot left vacant when Katy Perry announced she was leaving the show earlier this year.

“It’s going great,” Bryan boasts to Extra.  “Carrie and I had always been in the business together, but we never spent much time together, so to sit behind the desk and watch her really learn how to transition out of being the winner of American Idol and a superstar to being the judge at the table, but she’s doing good. The main thing is as long as she don’t pick up any of my habits. I don’t want to influence her in any way.”

For Richie, Underwood was the obvious choice for a replacement for Perry, because of her lengthy history with the show, and her superstar status.

“It makes a lot of sense,” Richie tells E! News. “It’s not someone we have to get used to. And the fact that she has a great story — she came from American Idol. What a great judge. In other words, now we don’t have to explain anymore, ‘We know how you feel.’ As artists, we know how you feel, but we’ve never been in that oval that says ‘American Idol.’ So for her, she’s been there, done that. To have her on the show, she can really speak from what they have to go through, what they’re feeling, and on top of that, just be a ham sandwich, like the two of us. Welcome to the ham sandwich squad.”

Underwood recently announced she was ending her  REFLECTION: The Las Vegas Residency in 2025. Find all of her music and tour dates at CarrieUnderwoodOfficial.com.