American Idol Original Judges: See Where Simon, Paula, Randy Are Now!
Can you believe American Idol premiered 15 years ago?
The musical competition show has gone through its fair share of judges, but fans could never forget the original three: Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson. It was recently revealed that the show — which originally aired on FOX — will be returning for another season to air on ABC.
“American Idol is a pop-culture staple that left the air too soon,” said Channing Dungey, president of ABC Entertainment, of the show’s cancellation last spring. “ABC is the right home to reignite the fan base. We are thrilled viewers will once again share in these inspiring stories of people realizing their dreams.”
Randy, Paula, and Simon during Season 1.
Not only was Idol an entertaining show for fans, but it also launched contestants like Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and Carrie Underwood into stardom. With 15 seasons on air, the show is responsible for kickstarting many people’s careers in Hollywood.
MORE: Kelly Clarkson Admits She Was “Embarrassed” by Her Emotional ‘American Idol’ Performance
“I feel so fortunate and a tremendous sense of gratitude that I got to be a part of something from day one that’s leaving an incredible legacy,” Paula told Rolling Stone last year. “The incredible stars and the rare talent that we got to see — not just from the winners — were so brilliant and part of something so big. We got to see them go on and achieve world success and win some of the most coveted, prestigious awards in the entertainment business.”
The new season of Idol is set to premiere in 2018, but will it ever be as good as the original?
Click through the gallery below to see Paula, Randy, and Simon then vs. now!
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