Mariah Carey, five time Grammy winner, has announced that she will be the newest “American Idol” judge. After meeting with FOX executives on Monday, July 23, Carey joined in a phone press conference to confirm the news.

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Jennifer Lopez have both already announced that they will not be returning to “American Idol” after being on the show for two years. According to FOX president Kevin Reilly the decision was mutual. Reilly stated, “we both decided it’s time for a change.” During the past two years the show’s ratings have declined a staggering 23%, leaving FOX very unhappy with executive producer Nigel Lythgoe.

According to bestmoviesevernews.com Lythgoe is in danger of losing “American Idol” if he doesn’t revamp the show and up the ratings. Randy Jackson, long-time judge and member of Journey, was also in danger of losing his contract. However, as co-manager of Mariah Carey, he was key in cementing the deal between her and FOX, which also seems to have secured his place as judge. Reilly stated, “Randy has been working with Mariah for a long, long time and is in fact her co-manager. Randy was very instrumental in this deal.”

With several other competitive singing shows out there, “American Idol” is getting lost in time. Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe claimed at the Television Critics Association that one way ratings could be improved is to have new judges on the show each season. This strategy may in fact be necessary with new shows climbing in ratings such as “The X-Factor” which just added Britney Spears and Demi Lavato as judges.

Lythgoe also suggested that there is a chance that J-Lo would return to the show, but Reilly stopped those rumors stating, “I think I can say that’s 100 percent that Jennifer won’t be coming back to the show.” However, everyone at FOX, as well as Carey herself, are very excited about this new addition to the show.

Carey stated in the phone conference, “I am so excited to be joining “American Idol.” I wish I could have been there myself to tell you. This kind of all just happened really quickly. I can’t wait to get started in a couple months… I will see you in January.”

Kevin Reilly, president of FOX also added his support. “It’s the biggest recording artist that any of these shows have ever had. It’s an artist many of these contestants have tried to emulate. [The deal] only concluded only hours ago. Not being the only game in town, we need to keep things fresh.”

Simon Fuller, the creator and other executive producer of “American Idol” stated, “we are proud to have one of the world’s greatest-ever female singers join our show. Mariah defines the word ‘Idol’ and will inspire every singer that has the honor of performing in front of her.”

Hopefully for FOX and for “American Idol” the addition of Carey will guarantee that the show will go on.

Image Courtesy of  Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

About the author

Alexa Robinson
I am a student at Florida Atlantic University in Jupiter, FL studying Philosophy and History. I am also a foil fencer and am interested in politics, cinema, music, books, and environmental issues. Reporting from St. Petersburg, Florida.

Related Posts

American Idol Top 9, Han Hee-jun to Make His Debut in the U.S.

The 23-year-old Korean Han Hee-jun, who was one of the top ten participants of American Idol Season 11, is poised to make his debut in the U.S. music market. Han made the top 9 of American Idol last year, which was a first...

Jon Bon Jovi Raised U$ 1 Million For The Tiger Woods Foundation

Las Vegas, U.S.A.- Fourteen years later, and Tiger Jam has yet to skip a beat! This past Saturday, Tiger Jam 2012 again rocked the Las Vegas strip, bringing host Tiger Woods and talents including Jon Bon Jovi and Friends and...

American Idol Live! Returns for 2012 Tour

Los Angeles, U.S.A. - American Idol LIVE! returns this summer for another hit tour to showcase this season's talented top 10 finalists. Launching the careers of many, the American Idol LIVE! Tour is the first chance to see your...

1 Comment for Mariah Carey Signs on As American Idol Judge