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“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”
Kimberly Williams-Paisley answered the call as her 9-1-1: Nashville character when her real-life husband, country star Brad Paisley, called to report that viewers should tune in to American Idol. Paisley joined this season of the competition show as a guest mentor — after pulling pranks during the auditions in Nashville, Tennessee — with Keke Palmer. The “I’m Gonna Miss Her” singer’s appearance on Idol also reunites him with former CMA Awards co-host Carrie Underwood and her fellow judges, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.
Williams-Paisley assured in the clip shared on Instagram, “help is on the way.”
Williams-Paisley stars in the newest 9-1-1 installment with LeAnn Rimes, Chris O’Donnell, Jessica Capshaw, Hailey Kilgore, Michael Provost, Hunter McVey and Juani Feliz. The fiery action-drama is “a high-octane procedural about heroic first responders, as well as their family saga of power and glamour set in one of America’s most diverse and dynamic cities,” according to ABC. 9-1-1: Nashville is renewed for a second season in 2026-27.
9-1-1: Nashville airs on Thursday evenings at 9 p.m. ET/8 .m. CT on ABC, and is available to stream the following day on Hulu.
American Idol airs on ABC on Monday nights from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT. It’s available to stream the next day on Hulu.
Bryan is part of the star-studded lineup of the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival. The show also includes Kane Brown, Parker McCollum, Riley Green, Shaboozey, Dylan Scott, Russell Dickerson, Gretchen Wilson, Chase Matthew and Lauren Alaina. iHeartRadio's Bobby Bones is returning as the event’s host. The show will take place on May 2 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Tickets to the show are available as of January 23. Fans across the country will be able to catch all the action as the 2026 iHeartCountry Festival will be broadcast live across iHeartCountry stations nationwide and the free iHeartRadio app on Saturday, May 2nd at 8pm ET/5pm PT (7pm CT).