‘American Idol 15’ spoilers: Kelly Clarkson to guest judge; Simon Cowell return complicated

As a part of Fox’s appearance at the TCA Winter Press Tour on Friday, there was of course a little bit of conversation in regards to the final season of “American Idol.” How could there not be, when you consider just how important a role that this the show has had culturally for not just for viewers, but for television history as a whole?

The big news that came from the panel was the announcement that Kelly Clarkson, the original winner of the franchise, is set to guest-judge the first live show of the season. This will more than likely be her only appearance, mostly because of the fact that she is currently expecting a child and her due date is approaching.

One other thing that was a hot topic of conversation was the status of Simon Cowell appearing on the show. The most famous of the original judges could show up at the finale, but there are some other issues that could get in the way of him turning up. These include his role on “America’s Got Talent,” which will be filming its audition episodes. There’s also another season of “Britain’s Got Talent” coming, and that will have its own auditions and live shows coming up in the future. The good news is that “American Idol” will be done with the live shows before “Britain’s Got Talent” even begins there, and it should not interfere with his role on “The X Factor.”

We’ll give you more scoop on Simon and any other potential alumni appearances as we hear more, so stay tuned.

If you do want to get some other news when it comes to “American Idol” right away, head over here to see our review from Thursday night’s new episode of the show! Also, sign up over at this link to get some other TV news on everything we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt newsletter. (Photo: Fox.)