Mariah Carey Confirms She’s Joining ‘American Idol’

Superstar Mariah Carey has confirmed she’s signed on to be a judge on American Idol.

Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly announced the news to the press at TV Critics Association Summer Press tour in Beverly Hills on Monday. The “Vision of Love” songstress will fill one of the seats left vacant by Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.

“It’s the biggest recording artist than any of these [singing competition] shows have ever had,” Reilly said. “It’s an artist many of these contestants have tried to emulate. [The deal] only concluded only hours ago. Not being the only game in town we need to keep things fresh.”

Carey, 42, was one of the most gossiped about stars to join the show as a judge. Her salary for the spot is somewhere in the neighborhood north of $12 million for the first year.

Carey and mainstay judge Randy Jackson have a very close professional relationship, and he could have pushed Fox for her to fill a judge’s chair.

Carey has called herself an “Idol Addict” since the show began 12 seasons ago.

This article was originally published on AllMediaNY.com