Did Ryan Seacrest Just Confirm His Involvement In ‘American Idol’ Reboot?

Ryan Seacrest may have just hinted on his return to “American Idol.”

During a recent episode of “Live With Kelly and Ryan,” Seacrest was asked to comment on the deal being finalized by ABC to revive the hit singing reality TV show that aired its final episode last year. “I said at the end of the series, ‘Goodbye for now,’ hoping somewhere it would come back,” he said.

Read: ABC outbids FOX, NBC for “American Idol” reboot

Seacrest also revealed that he heard the news about ABC closing in on a deal and that while nothing is official yet, it’s very close to finalizing the agreement. His co-host, Kelly Ripa, joked that Seacrest won’t have any problem hosting the reboot since “American Idol” and “Live With Kelly and Ryan” are both on ABC. However, there were reports saying that the production companies behind “American Idol” want the filming to take place in Los Angeles.

The radio host told Ripa that he actually has a pretty busy schedule in the morning, but the latter stressed that Seacrest’s nights are free. Ripa also showed support for her co-host by saying that she knows for sure he can juggle all of his engagements in the future.

“Do you know the preparation I have to do for ‘Live’ every night?” Seacrest asked Ripa jokingly. The latter replied, “Your night are free and you don’t have that much to do. You can do this! On the days where it is the day after, you won’t even have to think. I will do it all!”

Last week, Variety reported that ABC has already outbid FOX and NBC for the rights to revive “American Idol” sometime next year. Initially, Fremantle Media and Core Media Group discussed the possibility with FOX and NBC, but they soon realized that releasing “American Idol” on NBC could create a conflict of interest. The network is already home to another singing reality TV show, “The Voice,” and initial plans to pick up “American Idol” could mean that “The Voice” will only have one season per year. Additionally, NBC is also home to “America’s Got Talent,” and the network’s plan to release “American Idol” before or after “America’s Got Talent” wasn’t approved by the production companies.

Meanwhile, there is still no word on who ABC is eyeing as judge for the reboot. When “American Idol” aired its final episode last year, the judges on the panel were Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban. Before them, several other A-listers also acted as judges on the show. These included Ellen DeGeneres, Mariah Carey, Kara Dioguardi, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell.

According to Variety, “American Idol” Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson is being linked to the reboot. The singer instantly became one of the most popular singers of her time after she joined the reality TV show. Clarkson also made an appearance in the finale episode of “American Idol” Season 15, where she sung her hit song, “Piece by Piece.” In addition, she served as guest judge for the show in the same season.

“American Idol” Season 15 aired its finale on April 7, 2016.