Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson are fittingly going to be a part of the “American Idol” reunion special, which will air May 2 on ABC, as reported by Entertainment Tonight. Since they left, the judges’ table has been more of a revolving door: Nicki Minaj, Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, Harry Connick Jr., and Mariah Carey have all aided the show in its search for the next singing sensation. But, for the series’ 20th anniversary celebration, Jackson and Abdul will be joining current judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan. According to Deadline, viewers can also expect to see appearances by past “American Idol” contestants, who will pair up to perform duets.
Earlier this month, Jackson actually threw a little shade at the foursome who are currently helping America decide the “Idol” contestants’ fate. “Now I think they’re all too nice. This is a tough, hard, mean, give-zero-Fs business,” he told Yahoo! Entertainment. “One of the things I don’t like today is there’s very little truth being told on these shows.”
Simon Cowell was known for his brutal honesty, but his name’s noticeably absent in reports about the reunion special. This means we won’t get to see any of his entertaining banter with Abdul. In a 2016 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Abdul recalled, “I would say to Simon, ‘You know the show ended when I left.’ … He’d say, ‘Oh, shut up.’ But it’s true!”