“American Idol” just wrapped up its 18th season. Over the years, 14 famous faces have serve as judges on the show. While 11 of them sat on the revolving panel during the 15 years that the show ran on FOX, the same three musical talents have sat in judgement since ABC rebooted the franchise in 2018. Where do you think each member of this panel — country music star Luke Bryan, pop princess Katy Perry and the legendary Lionel Richie — sits in our “American Idol” judges rankings?
How does of each of them compare to the original trio of judges (Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson)? And what about those one and done judges (Mariah Carey, Ellen DeGeneres, Nicki Minaj)? To find out, click the photo below to take a tour of our gallery of all 14 “American Idol” judges ranked from worst to best. And be sure to sound off in the comments sections with your own “American Idol” judges rankings.
Be warned: the length of a judge’s tenure on the panel does not necessarily mean that they ranked high on our list. Likewise, several of the short-lived panellists made a big impression on viewers. Who was your favorite among this fearsome fourteen? Do you agree with our choice for the best (and worst) of the bunch? Let us know.
