Reacting to continued speculation to the contrary, American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe has reiterated that there is no truth to rumors that one-time "King of Pop" Michael Jackson will make a guest appearance on the sixth season of the reality competition series.
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"Everybody's talking about Michael Jackson... [and saying that] 'Michael Jackson is coming on [Idol],'" Lythgoe told Extra correspondent Teri Seymour during Tuesday evening's broadcast of the syndicated entertainment news television program. "I have no idea [where that rumor came from], but I'd like to put that to bed."
Earlier this month, The New York Post reported that Jackson had turned to Idol creator Simon Fuller to "mastermind his comeback," prompting speculation that the 13-time Grammy Award winner would also appear on this season's Idol.
"There is absolutely no truth to the rumor that Michael Jackson is going to appear on American Idol," Jackson's representative Raymone Bain told Access Hollywood on February 15. "He has signed no agreements with anyone."
Tuesday marked the second time in less than a month that Lythgoe has quieted the Jackson rumor. "No. It's not true... just not true," Lythgoe told TVweek.com in mid-February. When asked if the decision to have Jackson on Idol was still "up in the air," Lythgoe answered, "No, we won't be seeing him."
Idol has already revealed a number of the music industry celebrities scheduled to appear on the Fox mega-hit's sixth season, and Jackson is not one of them.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio