It's official! Mariah Carey will be a judge for the upcoming 12th season of American Idol, Fox confirmed. The network announced on Monday, July 23 that Mariah Carey has officially signed on as an American Idol judge.
Mariah Carey will be replacing Jennifer Lopez, who, along with Steven Tyler quit the show to focus more on their singing careers (read story here). Mariah, before being a judge served as a mentor in Idol's Season 7, seeing the win of David Cook who impressed Mariah with his own version of the latter's hit Always Be My Baby.
Mariah Carey welcomed the new assignment and shared her excitement of joining the panel of judges for American Idol's next season.
“I am so excited to be joining Idol. I wanted to be there today and I wish I could have been there myself to tell you. I can’t wait to get started in a couple months,” said Mariah Carey in a phone call to Fox boss Kevin Reilly at the Fox TCA summer press tour in Beverly Hills, California shortly after the big announcement.
According to Reilly, Randy Jackson, who's a co-manager of Mariah Carey was an instrument in bringing the diva to the show. Additionally, he also said that these changes in American Idol is necessary to keep things fresh as competition is stiffer this time.
It is expected that the identity of the remaining American Idol judges for it's 12th season will be revealed by the coming weeks. Names like Adam Lambert, Charlie Sheen and Fergie of Blackeyed Peas were popping as new additions to the panel.
Are you excited to see Mariah Carey as American Idol 2013 judge? DO you think the producers made the right choice and will save Idol from year-by-year viewership drop?
