Nigel Lythgoe: J.Lo to return to American Idol

It’s been speculated for some time but this becomes the most convincing update…

American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe has confirmed that Jennifer Lopez will return as a judge next season, joining Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler.

“Do you want to do the Jennifer announcement here or are we still waiting?” he said on told Ryan Seacrest’s radio show.

“I believe we’re still waiting for the official announcements but I am delighted to say that all three judges, along with the brilliant host of American Idol, is back for the next season.”

As Lythgoe noted, this isn’t official until Fox says it’s official and the network as of a couple minutes ago still has “no comment” on the matter.

The negotiations for Lopez has dragged on for weeks with reports her $20 million salary is an increase of some $12 million. But Tyler, who signed on for two seasons last year, is said to be chasing a similar raise.

While there’s been several premature “Lopez is coming back!” stories out there, coming from a producer on the host’s radio show makes this report the most credible yet.

Seacrest later noted on his Twitter account that auditions with all three judges would begin “in a couple of weeks.”

Source: EW