Mariah Carey joins 'American Idol' as new judge

She told a meeting of the Television Critics Association that she is excited to join as a judge and it all happened quickly.

Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe earlier added uncertainty to the question of who will judge next season, saying there’s a slender possibility that Jennifer Lopez might return. His reasoning: Since she told “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest she was 99 percent sure she was leaving, that means there’s a 1 percent chance she won’t, Lythgoe said Monday.

He said he hoped that was the case, although he also said he thought the show should be freshened each season with new judges.