American Idol: Jennifer Lopez Is Coming Back, Says Producer Nigel Lythgoe

Reps for Fox and Jenny from the Block are not commenting, but...

By Marc Malkin Aug 13, 2011 4:00 PMTags
American Idol JudgesMichael Becker/FOX

UPDATE: Fox is expected to officially announce Jennifer Lopez's return to the show on Monday, a source tells me. I'm told her new contract is for one season.

__________________________

Jennifer Lopez's return to American Idol is official.

Sorta.

As I've been telling you, Lopez is expected to be back for a second season, but there was still some contract tweaking that needed to be done before she would sign on the dotted line.

And now...

Our E! News pal Ryan Seacrest got Idol's executive producer, Nigel Lythgoe, to confirm the happy news.

"Do you want to do the Jennifer announcement or are we still waiting?" he asked Lythgoe this morning.

Lythgoe answered:, "I believe we're still waiting for the official announcement, but I am delighted to say that all three judges, along with the brilliant host of American Idol, is back for the next season."

(Left unsaid were the particulars, including the rumored mega deal that Lopez has reportedly been holding out for—and which fellow superstar judge Steven Tyler is apparently none too happy about after agreeing to a lesser amount.)

Reps for Fox and Lopez are still not commenting.

(Originally published on Aug. 10 at 11:27 AM)