Paula Abdul has returned to American Idol to fill in for judge Luke Bryan, and fans are loving this news. The "Opposites Attract" singer was one of the original judges with Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson before leaving after eight seasons. In the years since then, Abdul has taken part in other competition series, including The X Factor, Live to Dance, So You Think You Can Dance, and The Masked Dancer.
Season 19 named its Top 16 contestants during Sunday night's episode following a week of solo and duet performances with American Idol's Top 24 and celebrity guests. During that round, fans got the chance to vote for the first time this season after watching for weeks as the judges picked the contestants and narrowed down the group until only 24 singers remained. The live shows began Monday as the competition continues to search for its next winner, which will be unveiled in May.
Bryan announced on Twitter that he tested positive for COVID-19, which means he missed the start of the live shows Monday night as he stayed home to recover. However, all is not lost as American Idol decided to bring Abdul back to fill in for the country music singer, and various Twitter users have expressed their excitement on social media.
It is unclear how long Abdul will fill in for Bryan as a guest judge. Everything will depend on Bryan's health; he will need to test negative for COVID to return, of course. Maybe he will be well enough at some point to appear remotely to give his views on every performance. American Idol may also choose to have a revolving door of guest judges aside from Abdul, as a way to draw in viewers and keep them tuning in every week. That last option may not be as feasible during the pandemic, and it might be better to keep Abdul around until Bryan can return.
Since Abdul has years of experience judging singing competition shows, she's a welcome addition to American Idol's judging panel alongside Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Fans are sure to be nostalgic for the early years of Idol when the series was a ratings juggernaut that produced hugely successful artists like Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, and Adam Lambert. Abdul's return could bring some of those original viewers back, especially if she sticks around for awhile.
American Idol airs Sundays and Mondays at 8 pm on ABC.
Source: Luke Bryan, American Idol, Various (see above)