American Idol 2018

American Idol 2018 Ticket Information

American Idol accepts online requests for advance tickets. The American Idol TV show allows you to request a maximum of four tickets.

American Idol 2018 Broadcast Time

American Idol airs on various weeknights on ABC.

American Idol 2018 Background

American Idol is a Los Angeles-based singing competition in which aspiring performers first audition by singing an a Capella tune during one of several audition sessions held in various cities throughout the country. If the TV show's judges - Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson - like what they hear, the contestant is told "You're going to Hollywood!" During Hollywood Week, the contestants go through further elimination rounds until there are just 12 finalists left. The finalists then take part in a series of live shows, which are usually done on a theme (e.g. they will all sing country tunes, or songs written by The Beatles). At the end of each live show, the American Idol viewers get to call in or text votes for their favorite performer. The singer with the least votes is eliminated until at last a winner is chosen.

Ryan Seacrest hosts American Idol, and many of the contestants enjoy their 15 minutes of fame during the course of the season (Sanjaya being the most infamous example). But the judges are the true stars of American Idol. Lionel Richie, country music star Luke Bryan, and singer Katie Perry headline the new panel of judges.

American Idol has launched many careers. Among the winners, first-year champ Kelly Clarkson and Season 4's Carrie Underwood have been the most successful; Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, and David Cook have also done respectably. Some of American Idol's biggest success stories have actually been people who came close to winning the show, but didn't make it all the way - most notably, Clay Aiken, Chris Daughtry, and Jennifer Hudson. A surprising number of American Idol finalists have gone on to theater careers, performing in musicals on Broadway and Off-Broadway. Diana DeGarmo, Constantine Maroulis, and Ace Young are among the Idols who have enjoyed Broadway careers.

After 15 seasons American Idol was cancelled by FOX in 2016. American Idol was picked up by ABC on March 11, 2018 for its 16th season.