After weeks of anticipation, country singer Morgan Evans has been confirmed as Kyle Sandilands’ replacement on Australian Idol.
Channel Seven announced the news on August 20, just weeks after the shock jock revealed he was not returning to the show.
Morgan, 41, will join judges Marcia Hines and Logie winner Amy Shark on the judging panel in 2027.
The appointment has raised eyebrows though, with a TV insider telling New Idea that Channel Seven are “playing it safe”.
“Morgan has already made it clear he has no intention of trying to become the next Kyle,” our source says.
“Kyle could be divisive but you never quite knew what he was going to say. He made for great TV. If everybody sitting behind that desk is being nice, where is the conversation going to come from?”
Morgan recently had a team-bonding lunch with his new colleagues – fellow judges Amy and Marcia and co-host Ricki-Lee Coulter – in Sydney, ahead of filming the new season.
“Seven execs want this to work,” our source says.
When Kyle announced he wouldn’t be returning to Idol, there was chatter that former contestants and guest judges Guy Sebastian or Jessica Mauboy could replace him. But our source says “they were deemed to be too expensive.”
The gig then went to Morgan, who is delighted to be joining the panel.
“I’m stoked to be joining Amy, Marcia and the Idol crew next year!” the country singer said.
“I reckon if you’ve got music in you, that’s something the world needs to hear, and I’ve enjoyed helping new artists find that since I was teaching guitar in Newcastle.”
“I’ve learned a lot in my travels, some of it the fun way, some of it the other way, and look forward to sharing what I can. Can’t wait to hear what Australia’s got!” said the singer who divides his time between Australia and country music mecca, Nashville.”
Taking to Instagram to share the news, he wrote, “New gig! Idol’s gone country! See you in 2027, Australia.”
In the post, he shared a photo of himself at the judging desk, and pictures with his fellow judges and host, Ricki-Lee Coulter.
Who is Morgan Evans?
The famous singer grew up in Newcastle, NSW, and has since taken his music around the world.
After releasing his self-titled debut album in 2014, he went from strength to strength.
His 2018 album, Things That We Drink To, put him on the map. It earned him his first number-one hit on country radio, with his song Kiss Somebody going three times platinum and Day Drunk going five times platinum.
With plenty of international and local shows under his belt, he has streamed more than 1 billion times.
His former marriage to American country star Kelsea Ballerini also thrust him into the spotlight. The pair tied the knot in 2017, and then their divorce was finalised in 2022.
Why did Kyle Sandilands leave Australian Idol?
Kyle announced that he was leaving the show on July 31 to protect its branding.
In a statement to the Sydney Morning Herald, he revealed that he chose to leave due to the activist group, Mad F*****g Witches, targeting him in a community campaign because of a range of comments he made on-air, and urged advertisers to boycott The Kyle and Jackie O Show.
The campaign took place before he was let go by ARN.
The shock jock was a judge on the original Australian Idol for five years and was part of its reboot with Marcia and Amy.
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