Mariah Carey Confirmed as “American Idol” Judge

Fox entertainment chief Kevin Reilly announced that Mariah Carey has signed on to be an "American Idol" judge to a meeting of the Television Critics Association today, and then put Carey on speaker phone to confirm the deal.

“I am so excited to be joining ‘American Idol,’” she said. “This kind of all just happened really quickly.”

Just days after it was announced that she would be named BMI Icon at the 2012 BMI Icon Awards and less than a week after Mariah's husband, Nick Cannon, said that "American Idol Can't Afford Mariah Carey" she has agreed to step into one of two roles left vacant with the exits of Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez.