Original American Idol judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson are returning to the show!
The former judges will both be featured on the upcoming May 4 episode of the ABC singing competition series, airing next Monday night.
Keep reading to find out more…
Paula and Randy will both serve as mentors for the Top 5 contestants. Then, during the live show, Paula will sit on the judging panel as a guest judge alongside Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie.
Paula was a judge for the first eight seasons of the show, becoming the first original judge to depart the show. She later was a guest judge in season 19. We’re now in season 24!
Randy remained on the show as a full-time judge for the first 12 seasons of the show and then segued into the role of in-house mentor for season 13. He left the show after that season.
American Idol ended its original Fox run after 15 seasons and then was revived by ABC for season 16. Host Ryan Seacrest is the only person to have starred on every season of the show. There have been 15 different full-time judges over the years!