Another Judge for ‘American Idol'
After appearing on Fox's “American Idol†a number of times as a performer and mentor, Harry Connick Jr. will join Keith Urban and Jennifer Lopez on the judging panel for the show's 13th season, in January, according to The Hollywood Reporter. No announcement has been made by Fox, but Mr. Connick has apparently stepped in at the last minute to replace the producer and songwriter Dr. Luke, who dropped out because of a conflict with his imprint at Sony Music.
Harry Connick Jr.
The move is part of many changes for the program, both in front of and behind the camera, including the exit of three judges, Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Randy Jackson, and two executive producers, Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick. Three new producers have been hired, and Ms. Lopez is returning after one season away. Mike Darnell, the executive who supervised reality programming at Fox, also left the network in May.
Ratings for “Idol†have declined in recent years, but that singing competition still averaged 14.8 million total viewers during its 12th season.
A version of this brief appears in print on September 2, 2013, on page C3 of the New York edition with the headline: Another Judge For ‘American Idol'.
