AMERICAN IDOL: Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick Jr. Officially Announced as Judges

It has been widely rumored for a bit, but Fox has officially announced that former AMERICAN IDOL judge Jennifer Lopez will return to her seat for season 13, and occasional guest judge/mentor Harry Connick Jr. has joined the series as a judge, too. They join previously announced returning judge Keith Urban. Original judge Randy Jackson will now be the show’s in-house mentor (replacing the departing Jimmy Iovine.

“AMERICAN IDOL has always been about discovering the next singing superstar, and next season our judging panel will deliver a most impressive combination of talent, wisdom and personality to do just that: Jennifer Lopez, the triple-threat global superstar who loves IDOL and whom IDOL fans love; Harry Connick, Jr., a bona-fide musical genius and fantastic IDOL mentor whose honesty and expertise can help turn these hopefuls into stars; Keith Urban, a multi-Grammy-winning artist who was such a positive force on the show last season,” Kevin Reilly, Chairman of Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company said in a statement. “We are also very excited to have our friend Randy Jackson now in a new role as mentor, and the captain of our team – the heart and soul of IDOL – Ryan Seacrest returning as host.”

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