American Idol is the latest major television production to leave Los Angeles, delivering another setback to the struggling Hollywood industry.
The long-running ABC singing competition will relocate production to Georgia for its upcoming 25th season, Deadline reported Tuesday.
For more than 20 years, contestants who reached American Idol’s final stages were thrilled to hear the judges declare, “You’re going to Hollywood!”
That familiar announcement may now take a Southern turn, with sources saying the show will be filmed somewhere near Atlanta, Georgia.
Georgia has emerged as a leading destination for film and television production, offering attractive financial incentives that rival those available in New York City and Los Angeles.
The state has hosted productions including Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World and WandaVision. It is also where Elizabeth Banks films the game show Press Your Luck.
American Idol is the latest television production to leave Los Angeles and film outside Hollywood, with the series moving to Georgia
Georgia provides up to a 30% tax credit for unscripted television shows that spend at least $500,000 in the state. Deadline identified the incentive as a factor in American Idol’s decision to move.
Los Angeles is fighting to retain its status as the nation’s television and film production hub. Variety reported that the city has lost more than 45,000 production jobs since “the end of the streaming bubble in 2022.” The five-month writers’ strike in 2023 further deepened the industry’s difficulties.
The pressure on Los Angeles was expected to intensify Wednesday, with TMZ reporting that Paramount was preparing to announce plans to move its headquarters out of the city.
Several prominent entertainment figures have also left Los Angeles, among them Joe Rogan, Dennis Quaid and Nikki Glaser.
Other high-profile stars, including Ellen DeGeneres, Adam Levine and Gwyneth Paltrow, have relocated north to Montecito.
The show, hosted by Ryan Seacrest and judged by Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, will move to the Atlanta area for its 25th season; 2002 winner Kelly Clarkson is pictured
American Idol’s current lineup features host Ryan Seacrest alongside judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie.
Auditions for the new season began August 25. The online nationwide search, Idol Across America, was scheduled to screen potential contestants in Georgia and the Carolinas on Wednesday.
The audition process is set to continue through September 28.
Season 24, the final edition filmed in Los Angeles, concluded in May with Missouri-born country singer Hannah Harper crowned the winner.
Kelly Clarkson, 44, meanwhile marked the anniversary of her victory in the show’s inaugural season with an Instagram post on September 4.
She posted a photograph of herself surrounded by fellow contestants as confetti rained down and wrote, “It’s been 24 years, y’all ❤️ thank you for changing my life!”
Former judge Simon Cowell and host Ryan Seacrest pictured in 2003
American Idol showrunner Megan Michaels Wolflick recently spilled what the show’s producers and judges are seeking in the upcoming season.
Wolflick told WJCL, ‘It’s that person you can’t wait to walk into the room. You can’t wait for their next song, and you can’t wait to see them perform. It’s that special magic stardust.’
She advised aspiring music artists to ‘just be yourself, because that’s what America will connect with.’
