Keith Urban is officially return to his judging seat on American Idol.
USA Today reports that Fox entertainment chief Kevin Reilly confirmed the news at the Television Critics Associations in Beverly Hills saying, “Keith did a great job last year. The fans really liked him. Keith's a really funny guy. You could see how much he loved the show."
In addition to Urban’s return, Reilly also confirmed that former Idol judge Jennifer Lopez is also in talks to return. "Jennifer has been a close part of the show all along. Obviously, she's even been on it since she left the panel, so there have been discussions there. There is no deal with her.”
Reilly would not confirm reports that Idol alum Jennifer Hudson could return as host, but did not his interest in return to the original three person judging panel.
The judging revamp comes after a serious dip in ratings during last season, which featured judges Urban, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Randy Jackson. Since the season concluded three of the four judges left the singing competition and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe was fired.
Reilly discussed the changes in this seasons judging panel, "We want judges that are good at the job, that people like and refocus our attention on the contestants. I think even our own marketing maybe skewed that a little. It really became too much about the judges.”
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