Randy Jackson Set To Exit 'American Idol'

'American Idol' Loses An Original

And then there was one.

RYAN SEACREST remains the last original member of the once-dominant TV franchise "American Idol," when RANDY JACKSON announced he'd be leaving the show after 13 years as a regular participant.

The FOX network and JACKSON announced the news on TUESDAY, saying that after 12 years as a judge and one as a mentor to the contestants, he is leaving the series.

“American Idol” enters its 14th season in JANUARY after suffering notable viewer attrition in recent seasons.

JACKSON, a well-regarded bassist and talent executive before "Idol," survived through numerous cast changes on the show, as an original judge with SIMON COWELL and PAULA ABDUL, and more recently with JENNIFER LOPEZ, ELLEN DEGENERES, STEVEN TYLER, MARIAH CAREY and NICKI MINAJ. He was perhaps best known for calling contestants “Dawg,” and for his focus on "pitch."

JACKSON released a statement saying: “After 13 seasons I felt now was the perfect time to leave ‘AMERICAN IDOL.’ I’m proud to have been a part of a series that discovered some incredible artists and will go down in history as one of the most successful television shows ever.”

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