On Monday afternoon, students of Nashville’s Belmont University were treated to a surprise visit from American Idol judges, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.

Several videos show the superstars walking through the college campus lined by a wall of students, members of the band and pep squad cheering them on. All three members of the trio made an effort to smile, wave and share a few high-fives with the fans who gave them a warm welcome to their school. Bryan even stopped briefly to say hello to Belmont’s mascot, Bruiser the Bruin.

“pov it’s a Monday at belmont university,” one user wrote, referring to the fact that you never know who will pop up on a random week day in Nashville.

Another wrote, “No big deal…just Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood on campus!”

“Wdym this was my casual Monday morning on the way to class,” added another user.

The trio was accompanied by a camera crew, indicating that they’re filming for the next season of the singing competition show.

This spotting of Richie, Underwood and Bryan is on par with the show’s academic theme that has been used to make recent announcements about the upcoming season. The latest news dropped a week ago, stating American Idol would be returning in January of 2026.

A post on the show’s official Instagram featured a paper tacked to a bulletin board promoting that classes for “Idol University” will be begin on January 26. Each of the judges were filmed making their way to the flyer and tore off the information on the pull-away tabs which included the show’s premiere date.

The caption read, “That’s a tear we couldn’t wait to make 👀…”

It’s also fitting to see the judges in Music City as a major twist was announced for 2026. According to Deadline, Richie, Underwood, Bryan and the show’s longtime host, Ryan Seacrest will be bringing the golden ticket holders to Nashville for the first time instead of kicking off the competition in California as usual.

This time, they will be heading to the home of country music to introduce Hollywood Week: Music City Takeover. It’s unclear what exactly this week will entail, but it is expected to be an exciting shift for viewers as well as contestants.

The new season will mark Carrie Underwood’s second time serving as a judge on American Idol after joining the crew last year. She joined Bryan and Richie in their search for America’s next singing sensation.

American Idol will premiere Monday, January 26 on ABC and Stream on Hulu. This will mark the singing competition show’s ninth season on ABC and Hulu and 24^th overall.