Was Randy Jackson asked to host American Idol season 16?
Speaking in a new interview on the matter with Entertainment Tonight, Randy Jackson made it clear that he had been approached with an offer to be a part of the show — albeit in a VERY different capacity in the past:
“They wanted me to take Ryan Seacrest’s job, because they said ‘Look man, look, you got it. You know how to do it, dog.’ I would only host with Ryan. He’s my friend. You know let’s see — Kelly and Ryan, Ryan and Randy. Oh man. It’s gonna work man. I feel it!”
From this vantage point, the idea of American Idol having two hosts is as unlikely as the show getting Cowell back for another stint. Creatively, it makes little sense because it’s one person’s job and splitting it up only starts to make things a little more difficult. Then, there is also the matter of cost, and how expensive it would be to get TWO people in this role. One of the reasons why ABC has itself up against the wall right now in negotiations is because they threw $25 million at Katy Perry to get her to become a judge for the upcoming season. That breaks any sort of budget that they have for anyone else, and given that you are asking Ryan to travel cross-country overnight most likely in order to do this job, he’s going to want to be paid rather handsomely for it.
Also, Ryan remains the only on-air personality to be featured every year that American Idol is on the air. If he’s not back, it’s not something that anyone is going to be happy with — fans will feel slighted, and he will probably be disappointed. Yet, he knows his value and is fair to fight for it.
Do you think that Randy Jackson should be a part of the new American Idol, and what do you think are the odds of Ryan actually coming back to host at this point? Share now in the comments below!
Meanwhile, head over to this link in the event you want some other news when it comes to the show. (Photo: Fox.)