Randy Jackson leaving "American Idol"
After serving 12 seasons on the show's judging panel, the record producer says he won't be returning to the talent competition
www.cbsnews.comI don’t have live access to current news right now, but here’s the latest I can confirm from recent coverage:
- Randy Jackson has historically been a longtime judge on American Idol and left the judging panel in 2013 after 12 seasons, though he has returned in various mentoring roles over the years [CBS News; Fox/ABC coverage cited in 2013–2015 era]. This establishes the baseline that he is not a permanent judge in most seasons, but has revisited the show in guest capacities [CBS News; Fox News].
- In 2025–2026 coverage, there was mention of Randy Jackson appearing as a guest mentor for Idol's Season 24 Top 5, which sparked discussion among fans about his health and public appearances [Ground News aggregation, May 2026]. This indicates he remains connected to Idol in non-judge roles and that health-related attention has followed some of his public appearances [Ground News].
Would you like me to pull the very latest headlines and links from reliable outlets to confirm any new developments, and summarize them with quick takeaways? I can also search for official statements from Idol’s network or Randy Jackson’s reps if you want.