American Idol Judge #2 Confirmed

American Idol has been stretching out the anticipation of who their new judges for season 12 will be as long as possible. Last week, fans received their first award for patience, as the mega-diva Mariah Carey was announced as the first new judge. This week, Judge #2 has come forward to proudly claim his new position.

Straight from the horse’s mouth, Nick Jonas, 19, tweeted over the weekend, “The rumors are true... I am being considered to be a judge on American Idol, and it would be a dream come true if it happens. #Nickonidol”

This came after Us Weekly reported last week that an inside source shared with them, “Nick is pretty close to signing to be the 'Idol' judge. They flew him in to L.A. last week for final meetings."

Nick is a former Disney Channel star who is best known for being one third-of the pop boy band The Jonas Brothers, alongside his brothers Joe and Kevin. They released four albums together and won Breakthrough Artist at the American Music Awards in 2008.

Looks like Nick’s “dream” will be coming true…but probably not to the tune of $18 million a year, like his co-judge Mariah Carry is reported to be earning from the gig. Carey’s shocking salary will make her the highest-paid judge on a music competition show ever.  Even Jennifer Lopez “only” made $12 million a year, and Britney Spears is “only” making $16 million a year judging The X Factor.

So now that the two vacant judge spots after the departure of Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler have been filled, is American Idol ready to move forward with season 12? Not quite. There just may be one more surprise new celebrity judge.

Randy Jackson, 56, who has sat at the judge’s table offering advice, (sometimes constructive) criticism, and “Aw, dawgs,” since season one, is rumored to be moving on to more of a mentor role on the show. That means there is still one more chair to fill.

Fox’s Entertainment President Kevin Reilly recently told the press, “We have the biggest names in the business interested in doing the [American Idol judging] job. It’s going to be a matter of finding the right chemistry and making a deal.” 

The third new judge is strongly rumored to be 39-year-old rapper and producer Pharrell Williams, who has produced hit records for the likes of Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Gwen Stefani.

An inside source told Us about the negotiations with Williams, “Everything is looking good, but they’re still working out the details.”