Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Entertainment
Entertainment

Nick Jonas, Pharrell Williams May Join ‘American Idol’

Posted byBy ABS Contributor | Published on: CommentsComments (1)

With Mariah Carey scheduled to take Jennifer Lopez’s seat at the judges table for the upcoming season of American Idol, the network is now looking to fill two more seats, in place of former hosts Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson. The current leading candidates appear to be “Who I Am” singer Nick Jonas of Jonas Brothers fame, and Pharrell Williams, the rapper and producer best known for his work with N.E.R.D and the Neptunes. Jackson will reportedly be taking on a mentoring role in the new season. Show insiders claim that both Williams and Jonas are in talks with the program.

“Nick is pretty close to signing to be the Idol judge,” said one anonymous insider. “They flew him into L.A. last week for final meetings.”

Jonas is coming off a four-month stint on Broadway, where he starred in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, before the production ended on May 20th. Inside sources believe that producers are relying on Jonas to bring a younger demographic back to the program. Nick is the youngest of the Jonas brothers, who became teen idols with Disney in the mid 00s.

Williams, 39, is responsible for dozens of billboard hits, having produced songs for popular acts such as Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Snoop Dogg and Gwen Stafani, in addition to his own work with N.E.R.D. Recently, he has produced tracks for Rick Ross’s new album “God Forgives, I Don’t,” and the song “Sweet Life” off Frank Ocean’s “Channel Orange.” He is in currently in the process of negotiating a contract, according to insiders. “Everything is looking good, but they’re still working out details,” the source told Us.

Season 12 will premier this winter, with host Ryan Seacrest standing in as one of the few returning faces after the idol shakeup. Fox has yet to comment on the signing of either Williams or Jonas.

Independent journalism still matters.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top