After 15 seasons of letting the people choose (maybe) America’s next big recording artist, Fox has announced that next year’s season of American Idol will be its last.
Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick, Jr. will come back as judges for one more season of the iconic program, which first aired back in 2002.
Throughout the years and up until recently, the show has been a ratings juggernaut, and it’s annually one of the most anticipated reality show premieres on television.
While show winners like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood owe almost all of their fame and fortune to American Idol, many other winners haven’t seen quite as much widespread success.
In certain seasons, runners-up or others eliminated earlier in the competition have had success than the winners themselves. Jennifer Hudson placed seventh in the show’s third season, yet became one of the biggest recording artists of the mid-2000s and is the only Idol contestant to win a Grammy and an Oscar.
How will American Idol’s impact on pop culture be remembered?
Guest:
Richard Rushfield, author of “American Idol: The Untold Story” and editor-in-chief of Hitfix