Randy Jackson Leaving Idol!

Well, we hate to say we told you so…but we did tell you so! Yesterday, we reported to you that FOX wanted to hire an all new judging panel for the next season of American Idol, and it appears like they are well on their way. Randy “The Dawg” Jackson has just announced that this current season of American Idol will be his last. That’s right, Randy Jackson is clearly not “in it to win it” anymore. Jackson released a statement through his publicist, and this what he had to say.

“Yo! Yo! Yo! To put all of the speculation to rest, after twelve years of judging on American Idol I have decided to leave after this season. I am very proud of how we forever changed television and the music industry. It’s been a life changing opportunity but I am looking forward to focusing on my company Dream Merchant 21 and other business ventures.”

Only Randy Jackson would start a statement with, “Yo! Yo! Yo!” that’s the kind of thing I will miss about him. I know most people couldn’t stand his silly catchphrases, but his silly catchphrases are the only part about him I do like. He is certainly lacking the skills it actually takes to be a great judge, but every time he says, “Duuuude…..dude.” my heart melts a little bit. Anyway, this announcement is not really surprising, however, it is still big news. Randy Jackson was the last original judge on the show, so the fact that he is leaving really says a lot about where Idol is now. Ratings are falling, fans are getting bored and people are questioning how many more seasons it will last.

Fox has not commented on Jackson’s statement, but the creator of “mjsbigblog.com” MJ Santilli has some pretty interesting thoughts on the announcement.  MJ told USA today,

 “It probably is time for him to go because his critiques have gotten a little rote. But on the other hand, he is such a part of Idol history. (Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest) are the links to the history of Idol, which is really what Idol has right now…They really do need a major overhaul at this point, but it’s going to be a loss because it’s a big piece of Idol history.”

Do you want to hear my thoughts on the subject? Of course you do! I think the move is smart for both Randy and Idol. The only thing that will save Idol is a “major overhaul” like MJ sated above. They need new judges (with personality) and maybe introduce some new plot twists. There is no guarantee it will work, but it is the only shot they have to keep this thing going. Otherwise, they will be lucky to last past next season. I will say that they should keep Ryan as the host. He is the best at what he does, and I think it would be a mistake to let him go.

We’ll see what happens…