‘American Idol XIV’ spoilers: Randy Jackson leaving show after 13 years

Many may have projected this move coming for “American Idol” a long time ago, but now, it is finally happening: The end of the road is here for Randy “The Dawg” Jackson. He and Ryan Seacrest are the only two people to appear on every season of the Fox reality show, and that is probably the only reason why he lasted this long. He was better when Simon Cowell was still around, but since that time, we’ve haven’t seen a whole lot of substance from him.

Randy first confirmed the news to Deadline, saying in a statement that ultimately, he is happy to be saying goodbye to the show now after having such a long run:

“After 13 seasons, I felt now was the perfect time to leave American Idol … I’m proud to have been a part of a series that discovered some incredible artists and will go down in history as one of the most successful television shows ever. A true original, Idol started it all. Onto what’s next.”

Randy already had his role scaled back significantly on this past season of the show, as he was relegated more to a mentoring position behind the scenes rather than a judge. Still, the move to give him this role seemed to be a nod to the show’s history, and we are somewhat shocked that is not happening again.

Still, Fox may be saving a little bit of cash not having an in-house mentor this year; if they do find someone for the role, they are not announcing it publicly at present.

What do you think about Randy saying goodbye to the show right now? Will you actually miss him? Let us know in the comments, and head over here to get some other TV news worth singing about via our CarterMatt Newsletter.

“American Idol” returns to Fox with new episodes come January. (Photo via Fox.)