Ryan Seacrest had the sweetest message for the newest member of the American Idol judge’s panel.
It was announced this week that country superstar and former Idol winner Carrie Underwood would be joining the singing competition series once again, this time in a judge’s role—and Seacrest was among some of the first who reached out to send her a warm welcome.
Seacrest, the longtime host of the show, took to Instagram on Thursday, Aug. 1, to celebrate Underwood’s latest venture, calling it a “full-circle moment” to have a former winner of the show become a judge 20 years later.
Sharing a throwback photo of the moment Seacrest, 49, read Underwood’s name as the winner of American Idol Season 4, the TV personality penned a heartfelt message about how far the “Before He Cheats” singer has come—and how glad they are to welcome her “home.”
“It’s a full-circle moment to go from announcing you as the winner of @americanidol 20 years ago to now welcoming you to the judge’s table,” Seacrest wrote next to the emotional pic. “Welcome home, @carrieunderwood !”
Underwood, now 41, was only 21 when she auditioned for the show in front of former judges Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson (their fellow judge, Paula Abdul, was absent that day.) She went on to be crowned as the winner during the May 2005 Season 4 finale, beating out runner-up Bo Bice.
Nearly 20 years and 8 Grammys later, Underwood is now a veteran in the country music industry, and she’s bringing it all back to where she started.
“Thank you Ryan!” she wrote under Seacrest’s post. “Excited to be coming back home! ❤️.”
Underwood will be joining American Idol for the upcoming season, replacing Katy Perry on the judging panel alongside returning faces Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.
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