This was not your normal episode of American Idol on a Sunday night. The music competition program on ABC had to get inventive since judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie were attending the coronation of King Charles III in England, which was taking place while they were away.
Even though Richie and Perry made a short appearance live from Windsor Castle, the usual judges were joined on the panel this week by some A-list guests in place of Richie and Perry.
As the live presentations for the Top 8 were taking place, regular judge Luke Bryan was assisted by guest judges Ed Sheeran and Alanis Morissette, who provided analysis on the performances. In addition, Sheeran presented a unique performance in advance of the launch of his newest album, which is titled Subtract.
Following King Charles III’s coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, Perry and Richie gave a performance on Sunday as part of the official coronation concert for the newly crowned monarch.
Richie has already hinted that ET Idol had plans to include them in the episode that will air on Sunday.
“This is going to be the coolest thing ever because we are going to be broadcasting live from the castle. I mean, for the sake of argument, let’s just discuss Cinderella,” Richie said. “… It’ll cut back and forth to us, but I’m just going to say that it’s going to be an incredible experience.”
Perry shared the same sentiment at the time, telling ET, “We still have a job to do on American Idol, so we will be tuning in from Windsor Castle.” Perry is now a judge on the show.
Richie and Perry have said in the past that they did not choose their replacements, but that they are content with the choices that were made for them.
Richie said that it was incredible that they have both Ed and Alanis on board for this project. “It just enlightens you on the potential of the program. It’s going to be a huge hit with the competitors… It’s going to turn out well.”
“I’m just so happy it’s Alanis and Ed because I’m a fan of both,” Perry said further. “I’ve been a fan of both for a long time.” “It will be exciting to hear what they actually have to say and to see how they can constructively critique if they have to.”
ABC broadcasts American Idol at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on Sundays and Mondays throughout the season.
Even though the actual act of anointing the new monarch during the coronation ceremony was not shown on public television, CBS and Paramount+ have both made a lot of additional programming and video from the event accessible for viewers to watch. Viewers may also watch coverage of the event on CBS News, which will include a broadcast of the performance that Perry and Richie will perform on Sunday.
