The 10 Most Outrageous ‘American Idol’ Judging Moments
The craziest things Simon Cowell, Steven Tyler, Paula Abdul and more have said and done

George Holz / FOX
When American Idol returns on January 16th for its (gasp!) 12th season, viewers will notice a massive makeover among the show's judging panel: Gone are Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez, replaced by new faces Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Keith Urban. (Of course, mainstay Randy Jackson is back – seriously, what else is the guy gonna do?) Truth be told, Idol hasn't been the same since original judge Simon Cowell departed back in 2010 to launch The X Factor. The new judges will have to live up to a high standard of must-see craziness set by their predecessors. Here are 10 of the funniest, wildest and most outrageous Idol judging moments ever.
By Dan Hyman