Bobby Bones Joins ‘American Idol’ As Official In-House Mentor

Bobby Bones will join American Idol this season as the show’s in-house mentor, it was announced during Monday night’s (Nov. 5) telecast of Dancing With The Stars. Bones appeared on Idol last season, joining the top 24 hopefuls as they prepared to take the stage with their all-star celebrity duet partners. This season, his role has expanded and he will offer his expertise throughout the competition, helping contenders reach the next level of their artistry and performances.

With a nationally syndicated radio show The Bobby Bones Show reaching millions of listeners that recently garnered its third ACM Award for National On-Air Personality of the Year, Bones also earned a 2017 CMA award for National Broadcast Personality of the Year. His popular podcast, “BobbyCast,” recently surpassed 100 episodes and has been downloaded more than 6 million times, and he is also a two-time New York Times No. 1 best-selling author, touring stand-up comedian, philanthropist and chart-topping comedy artist.

American Idol is returning to ABC for the 2018-2019 season, after its inaugural season on the network during 2017-2018 with all-star judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Ryan Seacrest will also return as host.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Lorie Hollabaugh

Hollabaugh, a staff writer at MusicRow magazine, has over 20 years of music business experience and has written for publications including American Profile, CMA Close Up, Nashville Arts And Entertainment, The Boot and Country Weekly. She has a Broadcast Journalism and Speech Communication degree from Texas Christian University, (go Horned Frogs), and welcomes your feedback or story ideas at lhollabaugh@musicrow.com.

Latest posts by Lorie Hollabaugh (see all)

• Industry Ink: LOCASH, Manhead, Jamie McDonald, Dustin De La Garza - October 19, 2026
• Industry Veteran Keith Gale Launches Gale Brothers Entertainment - October 19, 2026
• Louie TheSinger Announces New 14-Date ‘Texican Tour’ - October 19, 2026