The country singer and the outrageous rapper have joined Randy Jackson and Mariah Carey on the judging panel for season 12. As expected for the past week, Fox made the formal announcement this morning as all four judges get set to appear at American Idol auditions in New York today. Minaj’s contract is rumored to be in the $10 million to $12 million range. Urban, who quit his gig as a judge on the Australian version of The Voice late last week, is rumored to be earning about $3 million to $5 million next season. “With an unparalleled star like Mariah, fan-favorite Randy, chart-toppers like Nicki and Keith and our incomparable host Ryan, we’ve put together one of the most exciting judging panels around,” said Mike Darnell, Fox’s President of Alternative Entertainment today. “With the exciting addition of Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj, alongside Randy Jackson, American Idol’s star power has never been so great,” added Idol creator/executive producer Simon Fuller.
The addition of Carey as an Idol judge was confirmed in late July by Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly. At the same TCA session where Carey’s judgeship was announced, Reilly said he expected long-time judge Jackson to come back to the show in some capacity. Last week, the network closed a deal with Jackson to return to Idol as a judge after negotiations with Enrique Iglesias to join the show broke off. Sources say that Jimmy Iovine is still in talks for season 12 but that the Interscope Records chairman is expected to be returning to the show in the mentor role he has held for the last two seasons. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe is also returning as is host Ryan Seacrest, who has a multi-year deal. Season 12 of American Idol debuts in January 2013.
Hiring God as a judge won’t help this show anymore.
They haven’t learn from x factor it not about judges this show just isnt good anymore.
the final nail.
Not even close. The ratings will drop another 10% or so. It will still be the highest rated non-sports show on television. I don’t get Nicki either, and in fact stopped watching years ago. But you have to give the show credit for thriving for so long.
Minaj, Levato, ceelo… They are all the same thing. Temporary. Where’s the royalty? An actual star?
Ceelo has been around for a LONG time. have you never heard of gnarls barkley?
Ceelo has been around since Goodie Mob, a little over twenty years.
Again, I’m talking about royalty. Goodie Mob ain’t sh%t.
lets see – a women that has to use autotune to give her a voice is the judge ? I think they need to shut it down
Agree….I don’t think her real voice is on any one of her tracks. I will NOT be watching this year after being loyal from the beginning.
What messes it up for me is Nicki. I for one won’t be watching.
Ditto to that. I was excited to see Mariah because we know she’ll bring all types of crazy but Nicki Minaj is just too much. Great Pink Friday album but I’m over her. I haven’t watched Idol in years but NM just kills it for me. Nail in and 6 feet under
‘Fan favorite Randy’ – clearly the comment of someone who knows their audience.
LOL “fan favorite” Randy? WTH are they smoking?
Be interesting to see if this gives the series a dead cat bounce.
I’m sorry but this is the worst cast I could have ever heard. I think the days of talent shows are finally starting to wind down. At least on FOX. Maybe in 2013 they will actually try to schedule some Drama’s and Comedies instead of 6 hours of reality every week (when you only have 12 hours of space).
This show went down before Nicki. She can’t even sing. JLO can’t sing either.
I stop watching years ago.
Yeah because we both know Paula Abdul sang better than Celine and Aretha put together ;)
I’m shocked they actually went with Minaj. Everytime this news was posted somewhere in the weeks leading up to this final announcement, her hiring was met with disappointment in comments sections. The “flash in the pan” nature of her “talent” seems like such an odd fit with the successful Carey and Urban. I also don’t understand the need for the four-judge panel.
I watched fifteen minutes of X-Factor for the first time the other night and was flabbergasted about how much of the show focused on the judges. Not that Idol isn’t prone to do that as well, but it seemed much more egregious on Simon’s new show. I can see Idol shifting down that path this season as well which will certainly be a disappointment.
I’m honestly not sure whether I’ll watch this year. Minaj truly is such a turn-off that it may have sealed the deal for me.
The Voice focus its show A LOT MORE on the judges and THEIR INFLATED CELEBRITY EGOS than both American Idol and The X-Factor combined! The Voice has YET cranked out a chart-topping and talented singer out of their show!
Ratings prove that the Voice is the best singing show on TV and that’s mostly due to the blind audition format and their judging panel’s “crazy”-talented personality combos(i.e. Cello’s costumes and animal side-kick shtick, Shelton’s drawl and down-home attitude, Xtina’s boobs and diva persona, Adam’s snarky rocker comments). No one can argue that the Voice’s judges are the TOP voice talent in the industry and this year’s crop of singers/contestants are even more talented than last year’s. Whether any of the show’s singers will ever top the music charts may be a question for years to come but who really cares as long as people watch the show.
Well it’s an interesting mix that will hopefully steer the show away from another boring white guy winner and get back to people who can actually sing.
They should’ve booted Randy and added Iovine to the panel. Randy now spend time inflating Mariah’s ego (as if hers could get any bigger) so its up to Minaj and Urban to bring some actual critiques to the show.
What’s interesting is that Idol pursued such accomplished or at least current chart toppers for the show while Simon Cowell chased down a C Lister nobody like Demi Lovato and wants an a Z List no talent like Khloe Kardashian to host. A no talent hosting a search for talent. Hilarious.
Good luck Idol, I’ll check it out but Randy and Minaj are making me cautious.
Game over. Zero interest. I mean forget the judges. These singers suck. They are all bad. It’s silly. The whole thing. Never have discovered one talent. No Alicia keyes, Dylan, Aerosmith and on. All great mimics. Part of the mediocre elite machine. From comedy ie; janene Garfolo to Ed helms to music ie ; everyone to film ; everything at the multiplex. It’s all fucked up. We all are hurt by this.
Now go get some more tattoos.
You hire a person who gives the finger during half-time at the SUPER BOWL and then you pay her twice as much as you pay Keith Urban????? SHAME!! They both do the same job. They both should get paid the same. In fact, Nicki Ninja shouldn’t even be on this show. Children watch it! Very very disappointed! This may be the end of AMERICAN IDOL.
Actually the one who flipped the finger during the Super Bowl was MIA, not Nicki Minaj, you angry lady. Now calm down, and if people decide to watch the show let it be; if not, who cares?
wow. really? worst in the lineup is randy..i mute him…what were they thinking? The show is sinking fast..really they needed just one judge, Jimmy.
Thank you Amerca for finally canceling this abomination of show.
To the seventeen year old who cited Gnarls Barkeley as rock royalty, don’t you have a geometry test you need to be studying?
The wig bill alone will kill them. Not to mention the ones for Nicki…
I concur about Minaj but let’s face it, Paula was never high on the list of talent either. I’m more surprised about Urban joining Idol. I respect him tremendously as an artist and musician and I think he’ll have a lot to offer. I see him more as a Voice judge than an Idol judge though. I don’t see him being unkind to the sometimes wackos they feature at Idol auditions.
Four judges is a mistake. Didn’t they already learn this lesson? Slows down the show too much. Urban is a good pickup since country singers do so well on the show. No doubt criticism here of Idol is valid. It is near its end. Give it props though for longevity, ratings power and producing a few decent singers. I hope they the show go out on top.
Thank heavens they are attempting to bring back Jimmy Iovine as mentor. He’s the only one who tells it like it is and doesn’t mince words. Agree with writer who said Keith Urban is worth a lot more than Nicki Minaj. Would have preferred Keith, Mariah and Jimmy as judges. Good luck Idol!
Minaj didn’t give the finger during the Superbowl, that was M.I.A.
Besides, Idol has hired other judges who’ve offended America. Let’s not forget that Mariah made ‘Glitter’ ;)
Took this off of my DVR today after recording from day one.
what took you so long?
True talent doesn’t need these shows. Maybe the shows need them. They’ll never get them, though. Some slip through, like Adam Lambert. It’s not about talent, anyway. It’s about packaging to teenage girls.