Randy Jackson leaving "American Idol" - CBS News
His departure leaves host Ryan Seacrest as the only original cast member left on the Fox series
www.cbsnews.comI can share the latest I’m seeing, but I don’t have live access to current feeds in this turn. Here’s what’s been reported recently about Randy Jackson and American Idol.
Answer
- Randy Jackson made a rare on-air appearance as a guest mentor during American Idol’s Season 24, mentoring the Top 5 contestants and prompting fan curiosity about his ongoing involvement with the show.[2][3]
Context and background
- Randy Jackson is best known as one of the original American Idol judges and later as a mentor on the show; he previously announced departures from the judging panel in the past, with multiple exits since the show began.[4][5]
- In 2026, reports indicate he returned to Idol for a reunion-style moment and to mentor during a later stage of the competition, which stirred discussion among fans about his current relationship with the series.[3][5]
Notes
- If you’d like, I can look up additional up-to-date sources and summarize them, or pull more details about his health journey, other career projects, or how fans reacted to his guest mentor appearance.
Citations
- The guest mentor appearance and Top 5 context are reported by Ground News aggregation of Idol coverage.[2]
- E! Online confirms the reunion/rare appearance and contextualizes it within Idol’s ongoing season.[3]