Vault: Kara DioGuardi Interview

Summary

The Bert Show – Vault: Kara DioGuardi Interview (June 8, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this lively vault episode, The Bert Show team sits down for an interview with Kara DioGuardi, known for her role as a judge on "American Idol." The conversation delves into the dynamics of the judging panel, especially Paula Abdul's departure and Ellen DeGeneres joining the show, the competitive edge of Atlanta contestants, and a humorous but passionate campaign to retire the term "Hotlanta." DioGuardi offers candid insights about the show, the audition process, and her own experiences, all while engaging in playful banter with the show's hosts.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Changes in the "American Idol" Judging Panel

• The episode opens with discussion about viewers' strong reactions to changes among "American Idol" judges (02:01).
• Paula Abdul’s Departure: DioGuardi and the hosts talk about fans' attachment to Paula and speculate on reactions to any further changes, such as Simon Cowell leaving.
• Ellen DeGeneres Joins: DioGuardi shares her genuine excitement about Ellen DeGeneres joining the panel and addresses questions about seating arrangements and on-air chemistry.
  • Quote: “Although she's, you know, she's Ellen. I mean, how much bigger can you get than Ellen? So it's pretty amazing to have her on the show.” – Kara DioGuardi (03:29).
  • DioGuardi says she felt relief, not competitiveness, about adding another judge: “No way. I was like, please, no, I don’t want to. I would love to have someone else there. I didn’t want all that pressure, to be honest with you.” (04:33)
  • She defends Ellen’s lack of experience in the music industry: “She has a lot to offer. I think people that say, oh, she’s not in the music business, blah, blah, blah, she loves music. And there are a lot of people out there that have signed great talent just based on that qualification.” (04:49)

2. The Unpredictability & Appeal of "Idol"

• Discusses how much of the show's appeal is its unpredictable, "true reality" nature (05:25).
• DioGuardi emphasizes the contestants as the real stars, despite media focus on the judges: “Really, it’s about the contestants, too. And we talk so much about the judges all the time, but hopefully we’re going to find that amazing talent that’s really going to be a big part of the show.” (05:31)

3. Prospects for Women Contestants

• DioGuardi believes there is "a really good chance of having a woman" win this season, noting the strong female talent (06:26).
• Quote: “We definitely need a girl. And I do think that a lot of times women vote a lot more than men, probably. And at times they may vote, you know, depending on whether the guy's cute... but you also want the best talent.” – Kara DioGuardi (06:38)

4. Atlanta’s Reputation & The "Hotlanta" Debate

• DioGuardi praises Atlanta's music scene and audition talent, sparking a spirited debate when she refers to the city as "Hotlanta."
  • Quote: “Atlanta is, you know, in the music business, you guys are known as Hotlanta.” – Kara DioGuardi (06:54)
• The hosts humorously campaign to ban the term "Hotlanta," preferring "The A" or "ATL."
  • Kara laughs and joins their cause: “Shut my mouth, actually. If I see that on any cover, I’m just going to burn the whole thing.” (08:06)
  • The hosts jokingly call it “the H word” and ask for a promise never to use it again. DioGuardi agrees: “You have my word.” (09:56)

5. Talent in Atlanta Auditions

• DioGuardi hints at memorable contestants from Atlanta but avoids giving specifics to maintain show secrecy: “Yes, definitely. And if I told you the names, then I’d have to definitely retire from American Idol. I can’t.” (08:24)
• She notes that Mary J. Blige was a guest judge and brought real, funny energy to the auditions (08:39).

6. Gender Split Among Atlanta Contestants

• When pressed, DioGuardi diplomatically states Atlanta’s standouts are "split down the middle" between guys and girls (09:10).
  • Quote: "I'm really saying that, I'm not playing this one. I'm not. I'm telling you." (09:15)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ellen Joining as Judge
  “Although she's, you know, she's Ellen. I mean, how much bigger can you get than Ellen? So it's pretty amazing to have her on the show.” – Kara DioGuardi (03:29)
• On Wanting a Fourth Judge
  “No way. I was like, please, no, I don’t want to. I would love to have someone else there. I didn’t want all that pressure, to be honest with you.” – Kara DioGuardi (04:33)
• On Banning 'Hotlanta'
  “Shut my mouth, actually. If I see that on any cover, I’m just going to burn the whole thing.” – Kara DioGuardi (08:06)
• On the Atlanta Auditions
  “There’s some really good talent. And Mary J. is hilarious.” – Kara DioGuardi (08:24)

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Key Timestamps

• 02:01 – American Idol fan reactions to judge changes.
• 03:13 – Kara DioGuardi joins the show; Ellen’s addition discussed.
• 04:19 – Discussion on returning to three or keeping four judges.
• 05:25 – The unpredictability of the show & focus on contestants.
• 06:26 – DioGuardi’s take on female talent and the likelihood of a woman winner.
• 06:54 – DioGuardi refers to "Hotlanta," prompting friendly backlash.
• 08:24 – Insights about Atlanta contestants and Mary J. Blige’s judging.
• 09:10 – Gender split among Atlanta audition standouts.

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Tone & Style

• The conversation is upbeat, banter-filled, and candid, keeping with The Bert Show’s trademark warmth and authenticity.
• DioGuardi responds with humor and openness, showing both personal investment in the show and a readiness to join in on the hosts’ playful campaigns (e.g., "Hotlanta" ban).

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Summary

This episode gives listeners a peek into the behind-the-scenes dynamics of "American Idol" through Kara DioGuardi’s candid reflections on the judging panel shuffle, especially Ellen DeGeneres joining the crew. The Bert Show crew steers the chat from the intricacies of production and audition highlights—especially Atlanta’s top-tier talent—to lighter, laugh-out-loud moments like their anti-"Hotlanta" campaign. Whether you’re a diehard "Idol" watcher or just enjoy stories from pop culture’s frontline, the episode offers both insight and entertainment.

Transcript

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[David Power]

show so tonight's a big night for you American Idol fans, man. And people are very passionate about this show. Like we talked to a Burt show listener earlier this morning and said, not watching no more. Paul is not part of the show. Done with it.

[Co-host]

It's terrible.

[Kara DioGuardi]

And she was mad that Adam Lambert didn't win. Still.

[David Power]

Yeah, she was still holding on for that whole thing. Now she feels that way about Paul. Imagine how many people are gonna feel that way about Simon.

[Podcast Host 1]

Oh, yeah.

[Kara DioGuardi]

Totally different show.

[David Power]

So Kara joined us after the Burt show yesterday, and we had to correct her and get her part on board with, you know, never mentioning the word hotlanta ever again. She fought it a little bit, but I think we won her over on that also. You know, my impression was that, look, if I'm Kara and I'm part of the judging panel already and Paula leaves the show, I mean, you started the show with three judges. I'm doing a great job. So let's just keep it three judges. Right. But. But then they add Ellen to the mix, and if I'm Kara, I'm thinking I'm a little offended.

[Kara DioGuardi]

I would think so.

[David Power]

Like, I'm not good enough to hold this down myself. So we ask her about that. And also some of the talent coming out of Atlanta. She seemed, as everybody always does every year, pretty impressed with Atlanta. So here's Cara d', Aguardi, judge on American Idol.

[Kara DioGuardi]

Hi.

[David Power]

Hi. How are you?

[Kara DioGuardi]

I'm good. How are you?

[David Power]

Good. You're ramping up for this week, huh?

[Kara DioGuardi]

Getting ready. Very exciting.

[David Power]

I would think you would be. I mean, with Ellen DeGeneres joining and all, this is sort of a. It's a new. You were fresh number one, and now we got fresh number two coming in.

[Kara DioGuardi]

I'm not a newbie anymore.

[David Power]

I know.

[Kara DioGuardi]

Kind of good to pass the torch, I gotta say. Although she's, you know, she's Ellen. I mean, how much bigger can you get than Ellen? So it's pretty amazing to have her on the show. And we're in Hollywood Week, so we're kind of developing that chemistry and, you know, kind of forging that whole thing. It's pretty fun. So she doesn't join the show that we can see until February. But I was just curious how much debate went into who was gonna sit where. Well, I think that's still being figured out. Ultimately, I think she'll sit next to Simon probably. You know, but again, I'm the worst person to ask because I found that I'm always the last person to know. So we'll see. You know, it's really. We're just trying to figure it out. It's like, anything that's new, you Gotta. You gotta just see where the. Where it all falls together.

[David Power]

When Paula took off and there was this sort of period where it was just gonna be the three of you guys, were you surprised that they were gonna fill her slot with somebody else? Were you like, hey, we're good right here. You did it with three people before. Why don't we just do it with three people now?

[Kara DioGuardi]

No way. I was like, please, no, I don't want to. I would love to have someone else there. I didn't. I didn't want all that pressure, to be honest with you. You know, it was. I think that the whole idea of having four judges was to have four judges. It wasn't, you know, we're gonna have four this season and then three. They really wanted to go back to the original formula and. And I was just happy to hear it was Ellen. You know, I really like her. I have mad respect for her. She's funny, she has great energy, she's good with kids, and I think she has a lot to offer. I think people that say, oh, she's not in the music business, blah, blah, blah, she loved music. And there are a lot of people out there that have signed great talent just based on that qualification. So I think they made a good decision.

[David Power]

Can you see a point in the season where her popularity becomes so great that it actually affects Simon because he's got that ego thing going on?

[Kara DioGuardi]

I really, you know, I don't know. It's all right now, unpredictable, which I think is what makes the show so great that we don't know what's going to happen. It's truly reality and, you know, you can't forget that. But I think that really, it's about the contestants, too. And we talk so much about the judges all the time, but hopefully we're going to find that amazing talent that's really going to be a big part of the show. You know, I wouldn't discount that.

[David Power]

Kara Dioguardi on The Burt Show. Q100.

[Kara DioGuardi]

Is there any one contestant that sticks out in your mind right now? There's definitely a bunch of them. I've written them down so that they don't fall through in Hollywood Week. They're definitely. And women are really good this year. The girls are really good. And last year, not so good.

[Co-host]

Well, be careful writing them down, because remember, there was that one time Paula did that, and then she started critiquing a guy who hadn't even seen.

[Kara DioGuardi]

Oh, come on, man. Yeah, yeah. But no, I actually. I don't want them to Fall through the cracks. Because I think what happens is someone can choke, someone can forget a lyric, and I don't want that to be the reason they go home.

[Podcast Host 1]

Do you think we're gonna have a

[Kara DioGuardi]

woman this year or a guy? Well, I definitely think there will be a really good chance of having a woman. Good. We need a girl. We do. We definitely need a girl. And I do think that a lot of times women vote a lot more than men, probably. And at times they may vote, you know, depending on whether the guy's cute, which is definitely a part of it. You know, you want someone who's attractive, but you also want the best talent.

[David Power]

Carol, what can you tell us about the Atlanta auditions?

[Kara DioGuardi]

Really good talent. Oh, good. Well, Atlanta is, you know, in the music business, you guys are known as Hotlanta. I'm sure, you know. Oh, you said it, Karen. You are.

[David Power]

Oh, wait a second.

[Kara DioGuardi]

Is that cheesy that I said that? But it's the truth, you know.

[David Power]

Hold on, hold on.

[Kara DioGuardi]

Whenever they do Billboard covers or. Because so much talent comes out of Atlanta, you know, you've got some great producers down there.

[Co-host]

Hold on. We can't even go. We can't even focus because we have to ask you. We have to recruit you into our army because you just committed such a violation.

[Kara DioGuardi]

Yeah.

[David Power]

You hit right at the heart of this show right now. We started a campaign last year to stop using Hotlanta to restore.

[Kara DioGuardi]

Did you really?

[David Power]

We did.

[Kara DioGuardi]

Well, you know what? I'm just picking up on what's been out there. I mean, but it really is. You can't deny, though, that Atlanta, there's a lot of talent that comes out of it.

[Co-host]

Atlanta is hot in the music industry, but it's not Hotlanta because that you moving forward.

[David Power]

Will you promise?

[Kara DioGuardi]

Is it just because it's a corny phrase.

[David Power]

Yeah. And it's just been around forever, and we're trying to come up with something.

[Kara DioGuardi]

All right, well, what could we come up with?

[Co-host]

We call it Freshlanta.

[Kara DioGuardi]

Freshlanta. No, it's cool to call it the A or the ATL or whatever. Can do better than that, actually.

[David Power]

Yeah, they call it the A or the ATL or whatever. We just. I mean, moving forward. If you could never use the word Hotlanta ever again, we would be.

[Kara DioGuardi]

Shut my mouth, actually. If I see that on any cover, I'm just going to burn the whole thing.

[David Power]

There you go. Thank you. Now we're all in the same page.

[Kara DioGuardi]

You've got me now. I'm on your team.

[David Power]

Can you give US. Any hints about what you saw in Atlanta? Does anybody immediately stick out in your head from Atlanta?

[Kara DioGuardi]

Yes, definitely. And if I told you the names, then I'd have to definitely retire from American Idol. I can't. You know, that's one thing. They're. Don't say anything. Don't say who it is. But I'm telling you, when you watch the show, you'll see there's some really good talent. And Mary J. Is hilarious.

[Co-host]

I know she was the guest judge when you guys were here, right?

[Kara DioGuardi]

Yeah, there were a few moments where she was really funny, and she's really real, which is what I love about her. You know, she's all about whether somebody moves her.

[David Power]

Cara Dioguardi, American Idol judge on The Burt Show Q100.

[Co-host]

Now, I know all the cities probably kind of, you know, blend together after, you know, doing a whole season of these city visits, but did Atlanta have. Do you recall Atlanta having the guys stand out more or the girls stand out more?

[Kara DioGuardi]

I would say it was a pretty split down the middle.

[David Power]

Oh, you're walking right down the line on this.

[Kara DioGuardi]

No, no, I really. No, I really would, because I actually have been through the tapes I've been watching because I want to look at them before Hollywood Week to make sure that I don't. You know, I get my eye on the ones that I think are really good. And I would say it was split down the middle. I'm really saying that I'm not playing this one. I'm not. I'm telling you.

[David Power]

Yeah, well, good luck this season. And I think we've also accomplished the hot Lana thing with you today also, so I feel good about this.

[Kara DioGuardi]

You know what? That is out. I'm like, why did you even say it? You said, David Power. You can't say that.

[David Power]

You already corrected me. I'm on your team.

[Co-host]

We call it the H word. Don't say the H word anymore, Kara.

[Kara DioGuardi]

Okay. I'm never, ever gonna say it again.

[David Power]

Thanks a lot.

[Kara DioGuardi]

You have my word.

[David Power]

Appreciate your time.

[Kara DioGuardi]

All right, bye, guys.

[Podcast Host 2]

Bye.

[David Power]

Bye. The Bird Show.