Lin-Manuel Miranda to Serve as Guest Mentor for AMERICAN IDOL's 'Disney Night'

Next week, Broadway favorite Lin-Manuel Miranda will serve as a guest mentor for their annual Disney Night. The two-episode celebration will air Sunday, May 11, and Monday, May 12, from 8:00-10:01 p.m. EDT.

The first Disney Night celebrates Mother’s Day, as the Top 7 contestants travel to Disneyland Resort and light up the stage with Disney classics as America votes live for the five moving forward in the competition. On Monday, Disney Night will continue with heroes and villains. The Top 5 travel to Disneyland Resort and perform twice as America votes live for the three heading to the finale.

American Idol, the iconic series that revolutionized the television landscape by pioneering the music competition genre, returned to ABC on March 9, 2025. Helping determine who America will ultimately vote to become the next singing sensation are music industry forces and superstar judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood. Emmy® Award-winning host and producer Ryan Seacrest hosts the beloved competition series.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is a modern-day Broadway icon, creating the Broadway musicals In the Heights and Hamilton, and the soundtracks for the animated films Moana, Vivo, and Encanto. His additional Broadway credits include New York, New York (Additional Lyrics, Tony nomination for Best Musical), Freestyle Love Supreme (Co-Founder, Guest Star, Special Tony Award Recipient), Bring It On: The Musical (co-composer/co-lyricist, Tony nomination for Best Musical), and West Side Story (2009 revival, Spanish translations).

He has received numerous accolades, including a Pulitzer Prize, three Tony Awards, two Laurence Olivier Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Grammy Awards, along with nominations for two Academy Awards. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2018. In 2024, he released his concept album Warriors, written with Eisa Davis. He is currently working on a stage adaptation.