Simon Cowell will not be returning to 'American Idol'
The music mogul, 57, was part of the show from 2002 through the mid-2010s.
— -- "American Idol" fans were delighted to hear earlier this week that the singing-competition show will be returning to ABC for the 2017-2018 season.
There's no official word on the host or judges, but original cast member Simon Cowell will definitely not take part.
The music mogul, 57, was part of the show from 2002 through the mid-2010s, but told "Extra" on Thursday he doesn't have much "interest" in coming back, especially without the original lineup.
"Randy [Jackson], Ryan [Seacrest] and Paula [Abdul]. You can’t recreate that,” he said.
Cowell said he was asked but kindly replied, "No." He might have other obligations anyway, including judging duties on "America's Got Talent."
When the announcement of the show's return made news on Tuesday, Channing Dungey, president of ABC Entertainment, said in a statement, "'American Idol' is a pop culture staple that left the air too soon ... We are thrilled viewers will once again share in these inspiring stories of people realizing their dreams."
That news came one day after longtime “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest joined “Live With Kelly and Ryan." He'll be moving to New York during the week to film the morning show. No word on if he'll be coming back for "Idol."
He did speak about a possible comeback in one of his first days on "Live."
ABC News' Katie Kindelan contributed to this report.
