Paula Abdul reunites with Randy Jackson on 'American Idol'
Nostalgia alert!
Paula Abdul was an American Idol judge for the first nine seasons of the seminal singing competition series, and the 58-year-old reclaimed her judge's chair for the first time since 2009 on Monday night:
While Abdul was the only OG judge to return in person, Randy Jackson made a FaceTime appearance:
"Miss Paula Abdul, it feels like old times, right?" Jackson said through the screen.
"Yes, it does," Abdul said. "We're just missing the STD."
There was then confusion surrounding what the Grammy-winning singer and dancer meant, though it was understood she was referring to Simon Cowell. "Super talented debonair," she clarified.
Abdul was filling in for Luke Bryan, who announced before the first live show of this season that he had tested positive for COVID-19:
The field was shaved from 16 to the Top 12. However, Abdul's cameo aside, perhaps the biggest storyline from Monday night's episode was the mysterious announcement made by host Ryan Seacrest to open the two-hour event that frontrunner Wyatt Pike had quit the competition for undisclosed personal reasons.
American Idol will return to decide its Top 9 with new episodes next Sunday and Monday beginning at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
More must-reads: