Its out the with the old and in with the new at American Idol. The “diva” chair once held by Paula Abdul, Kara DioGuardi and most recently by Jennifer Lopez will be occupied by Mariah Carey.
Unarguably one of the recording industries best artists ever, Carey will add American Idol judge to her already impressive resume which already includes 18 number one singles and over 200 millions records sold.
Rumors started swirling last week that Jennifer Lopez would be leaving the FOX singing competition after two seasons on the judges panel. Idol Executive producer Simon Lythgoe offered a glimmer of hope that Lopez might early Monday saying the “On the Floor” singer was only “99%” confirmed to leave. Then later in the day, FOX Entertainment President Kevin Reilly told a group of television critics he spoke with Mariah on the telephone adding: “I think I can say it’s 100%.” By night fall, Lopez made her exit official saying she would be leaving her Idol post to focus on her own music career.
