Fans of former “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson were shocked after seeing footage from his latest TV appearance ended up on social media.
The musical game show “Name That Tune” returned to Fox this month with its fifth season, and promotional videos from the September 15 episode show Jackson, now hosting the show, looking noticeably slimmer than he did during his “American Idol” days.
Fans are saying Jackson is almost unrecognizable, with one Instagram user claiming that the promotional footage for the show looks so polished it might as well be AI-generated.
“Some fans are very concerned about Randy Jackson,” he said, before referring to the same footage that was shared online. The man then goes on to zoom in on a photo of Jackson with his “Name That Tune” co-host Jane Krakowski and two celebrity season five contestants, “Modern Family” alums Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ariel Winter.
In addition to saying the footage looked digitally enhanced, the man pointed to Jackson’s weight loss as further “proof” that something was off.
“Randy Jackson over the years has gone through a dramatic weight loss,” he added. “Who is this Randy Jackson in this photo?”
Fans responded to the video, and several also didn’t believe their own eyes, zooming in on Jackson’s face and figure in the photos. One fan remarked, “That’s a total fake. Not the real Randy!!!!!!!”
Another fan joked, “That’s his wax figure. He could not make it to set that day.”
Many agreed they’ve noticed the drastic changes in Jackson’s appearance over the years between, “Plastic surgery, weight loss, prior health complications, painted on hairline, lots of makeup and age.”
Some even claimed, “He looks embalmed in that photo,” pointing to his face, “The eyes tell it all.”
“I don’t think it’s AI. He had the stomach reduction surgery and it’s not allowing him to eat to hold his weight,” wrote one person coming to his defense.
According to People, Jackson was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes more than 20 years ago, and he lost more than 100 pounds after having gastric bypass surgery. He spoke with the outlet back in 2022 about the challenges of losing weight and difficulty keeping it off.
“It’s a great jump starter,” the music producer said of the surgery. “You lose a bunch of weight really fast, but maintaining’s another thing because you get there and your mind tells you, ‘OK, phew. I’m here now. I can start to party and bring out the cheesecakes.'”
1- Today in 2002, "American Idol" created by Simon Fuller with judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul & Randy Jackson premiered on Fox-TV. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to April 7, 2016, for 15 seasons. pic.twitter.com/AzOINK2jG6
— Howard Prince (@Howodd69) June 11, 2025
“I hate the word diet. I don’t use that anymore. Anybody that’s lost weight, you lose it and then you start eating and drinking more and it all starts coming back. That’s what started happening to me,” Jackson continued. “I was like, ‘No, I’m not going to spend my life going through this.’”
Despite his weight loss being well documented over the past few years, another fan wrote on Instagram, “What happened to Randy?? He looks like a whole different person.”
However, anyone can see from a clip from the latest episode of “Name That Tune” that Jackson is alive but many don’t believe he’s doing so well.
A longtime fan noted, “He looks exactly the same on that tv show as he did last season. He has been looking skinnier and sickly.”
Jackson also discussed his Type 2 diabetes diagnosis and weight loss journey in the book “Body With Soul.”
“It was kind of crazy for me because it ran in my family, but you always think someone else is going to get it, never you,” Jackson said in the book, per Prevention.
“I got it,” he continued. “It’s a curse to be saddled with a disease that’s life-threatening and that you can’t completely get rid of (though you can certainly manage it). But it’s a blessing to get that huge wake-up call.”
Jackson maintains his weight by keeping a lot of fruits and vegetables in his house, as well as corn “without the bread.” He eats his favorite foods in moderation and has great advice for other folks trying to eat right. Jackson also uses a treadmill and yoga to exercise and has a protein shake or frozen yogurt when he has sugar cravings.
