Report: Randy Jackson Returning to American Idol Though Not In The Same Role

Randy Jackson, we hardly missed ya. He left American Idol in May, after serving as judge for its first 12 seasons, but he's coming back to the Fox competition...though not in the role you might expect.

According to Deadline, Randy will replace Jimmy Iovine as the show's resident mentor. The exact circumstances surrounding Jimmy's departure aren't made clear in the report. Jimmy served as mentor for the past three seasons.

American Idol still has to name the two judges who will join Keith Urban on the panel next season, though it's believed that Jennifer Lopez and producer Dr. Luke will fill those slots.