When we think of “American Idol,” despite two decades having passed since it first aired, we think of Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Ryan Seacrest. It’s hard to imagine one of the three original judges not behind the long table with their red Coke glasses. But that was almost the reality. Seacrest told Kelly Clarkson, the first “Idol” winner, that producers initially asked him to be a judge — not the host.
“Originally, when the producers, Nigel and Ken, were setting up the show, they had heard me on the radio, here, in Los Angeles,” Seacrest said on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” adding, “And they thought that I might fit the panel with whoever else was already on. I guess Simon [Cowell] was already on board. I don’t know who else at that point. And I thought, ‘Wait a minute. I would love to audition to be the host’, and so I auditioned eventually to host. And I got the job.” His reasoning? It came naturally. As he told Clarkson, “The problem is, I’m in like auto-host mode all the time, so I don’t know that I’d just be able to sit behind the desk and just give feedback.”
Not only does Seacrest still have his gig as host of “Idol,” he outlasted every original judge and replacement judge since. Where would we be without Seacrest there to make all the big “Idol” reveals? Probably not over twenty seasons in.
