It’s official: Ellen DeGeneres is part of the American Idol family.
The comedian was announced as the show’s fourth judge, taking over for Paula Abdul, months ago. But she now appears in a series of promotional photos for the competition and there’s truly no going back.
Ellen will debut on the panel on February 9.
Prior to that, Idol will feature a number of celebrity guest judges – including Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Kristin Chenoweth, Neil Patrick Harris, Joe Jonas, Avril Lavigne and Katy Perry – as it narrows its season nine field down to the Hollywood round.
American Idol will begin its search for the next Kris Allen, Adam Lambert or Carrie Underwood is less than a week! It premieres on January 12 and THG will be there every step of the way, posing almost-daily reviews, recaps and videos of contestants.
Won’t you join us? For now, check out Ellen and the rest of the cast below: