Kelly Clarkson Reportedly Close To Joining New ‘American Idol’ Judges Panel for More Moments Like This
It sounds likelier and likelier that Kelly Clarkson is destined for an American Idol homecoming.
The show's very first winner, who catapulted into fame after her coronation single "A Moment Like This" shot to No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 2002, is in serious talks to return to the show to lead its brand new judges' table, TMZ has reported. Idol premiered on Fox in 2002 and aired for 15 seasons before FOX canceled the show in 2016, but ABC revived Idol earlier this week promising bigger and better things from its new home.
TMZ says that ABC has shown "serious interest" in recruiting Clarkson, and that the singer is so on board, she's already begun freeing up her schedule to contend with filming demands.
The site adds Idol is considering switching to once-weekly episodes (previous seasons included two or three episodes each week) and noted that auditions will probably be consolidated to Disney World and Disney Land instead of various cities across the country.
Former host Ryan Seacrest is also close to returning to Idol, TMZ reports. He was the host of the original 15 seasons and said on Live! earlier this week that he hasn't ruled out the possibility of coming back.
“I don’t know about that part yet, we haven’t gotten that far,” he said, but noted his new job’s parent company would make the gig easier. “I said, ‘Well, that’s kind of good to know, I work here!'”
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