Carrie Underwood will be the next singer to sit behind the judges’ table on “American Idol,” filling Katy Perry’s spot after her departure from the show in May.

Underwood, who rose to fame after she won the singing competition show in 2005, will return 20 years later as a judge for the upcoming season, set to premiere in spring 2025. She’s the first “Idol” alum to become a judge.

In an emotional video announcing Underwood’s new gig, she said, “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.”

The country singer, who is the most decorated artist in CMT Music Awards’ history with 25 wins, made waves with her rendition of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” at her audition, and she quickly became a fan-favorite.

Underwood has also won eight Grammy Awards and consistently tops the charts with her albums and singles. She will be joining Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie for the franchise’s 23rd season.

Longtime host Ryan Seacrest, who has been with the show since it premiered, will also return.

Rudolph returning to ‘SNL’ as Harris: Maya Rudolph will be back to reprise her Emmy-winning role as Kamala Harris on “Saturday Night Live” through the November election.

Rudolph, who was a regular cast member from 2000 to 2007, made a return to the NBC show to debut her portrayal of Harris in 2019. The comedian also brought back the impersonation when she appeared on the show’s 46th season in 2021.

Initially, the fate of her return next season was unclear due to production for the third season of her Apple TV+ show, “Loot.” After filming for the comedy series was pushed back to January, Rudolph’s schedule cleared up, allowing for her “SNL”return.

In 2019, Harris gave Rudolph’s impression her seal of approval. “I will tell you that I fully intend to make sure she has a full eight years of work on ‘SNL,’ ” Harris joked in an interview with Seth Meyers.

Rudolph will take on the role during the upcoming 50th season, which kicks off Sept. 28.

Booker Prize eyes 6 Americans: Six American writers — including Rachel Kushner, Percival Everett and Tommy Orange — are among 13 semifinalists announced Tuesday for the prestigious Booker Prize for fiction.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Orange is the first Native American Booker semifinalist with his centuries-spanning saga “Wandering Stars.” Everett is nominated for “James,” which re-imagines Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn” from the point of view of its main Black character, Jim. Kushner is a contender with spy story “Creation Lake.”

The other U.S. contenders are Pulitzer winner Richard Powers for “Playground,” Rita Bullwinkel for “Headshot,” and Claire Messud for “This Strange Eventful History.”

Aug. 2 birthdays: Musician Garth Hudson is 87. Singer Kathy Lennon is 81. Actor Joanna Cassidy is 79. Actor Butch Patrick is 71. Musician Butch Vig is 69. Comedian Victoria Jackson is 65. Actor Apollonia is 65. Actor Mary-Louise Parker is 60. Director Kevin Smith is 54. Actor Sam Worthington is 48. Singer Charli XCX is 32.