The final season of "American Idol" premiered last week with a judging panel of Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban. Last year, host Ryan Seacrest revealed that the original three judges that the show started with including Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell would all return at some point in the farewell season.

"We will have the former judges back," Seacrest told E! News. "The plan is to have all of them back. They've all considered it and I think are enthusiastic about coming back and saluting the show."

Aside from the original three judges and the current ones that sit behind the judges table, the show previously had some serious star power come on to judge the talent competition show, including Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, Ellen DeGeneres, Steven Tyler and Kara DioGuardi. While Seacrest was referring to the original trio of judges returning to the show, that does not mean some past favorites judges could pop up in one way or another.

Check out all 11 "American Idol" judges and their thoughts on the final season and the show in general. 

Simon Cowell

Cowell is perhaps the most well-known "American Idol" judge. Cowell, alongside Abdul and Jackson, was one of the original three judges and made the show what it is known for today. No one could drop a better insult than Cowell, which earned him the title of "the mean judge" during his tenure on the series. Cowell stuck with the show from its first season all the way until 2010, when he left for good.

"We had a blast! Me, Paula, Randy, Ryan - and not forgetting Brian," Cowell said in a statement when it was announced "American Idol" was canceled, according to Billboard. "Thanks to the fans we were able to make some great shows and found some amazing artists. Fox took a risk on a brand new show and I want to thank them for giving us the opportunity. They really were great times."

Paula Abdul

Out of the original three judges, Abdul was the most well-known person at the time the series started. Abdul is a singer and dancer who scored tons of hit songs in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She joined "American Idol" in 2002 and left the talent competition series in 2009. Abdul's kindness was the perfect juxtaposition to Cowell's meanness even though the two shared a love-hate relationship on screen.

"I'm always last to find out if the rumors are true, but I'm sure I'll find out," Abdul told Entertainment Tonight about her possible return for the final season. "I'm very grateful for the amazing time that I had. I was there for almost a decade when you think about it - eight seasons, nine years. I'm just really proud to be a part of something that made history and changed the face of television as we know it today."

Randy Jackson

Jackson is the longest running judge on the history of "American Idol." The "Dawg" judged the show for an incredible 12 seasons and saw the panel go through many changes. Jackson was known for giving fair and honest comments to the contestant on the show and also educated the public about what the term "pitchy" meant.

"You'll see me there somewhere, yeah," Jackson teased about the final season. "[I'm] sad that it's ending but what a great run. 15 years! Oh my God! Whoa! The best ever!"

Kara DioGuardi

DioGuardi joined the judges table in Season 8 of the FOX show, making it the first time the panel had four judges at it instead of three. DioGuardi was a singer, but primarily a songwriter that producers of "American Idol" thought could add some freshness into the mix of Cowell, Abdul and Jackson. She only stayed around for two seasons, but revealed that she thought the producers of the show had ulterior motives in hiring her.

"My sad take is that they were never interested in my for my accomplishments or how I could really help the contestants," she wrote in her book "A Helluva High Note," according to Rolling Stone. "As proof of that...I don't think I was every properly credited or introduced to the viewers. I felt more like I was there to serve ulterior motives and ones that I could never achieve for them. I'm willing to bet that in Simon Cowell's mind, I was Simon's Fuller's girl, and that made me suspect no matter what I said and did. Under those circumstances, I could see why Cowell was less than kind to me at times, but it still hurt."

Ellen DeGeneres 

While most judges on the "American Idol" panel had some sort of singing ability or were primarily artists, DeGeneres did and was not. The talk show host took over for Abdul when she left the show in 2010, but left after only one year after that. Since her time on the show, the Emmy Award-winner has not been shy about how she felt about her time on the show.

"[American Idol] is one of the worst decisions I've made," she admitted on the "Howard Stern Show" in September 2015, accordng to The Wrap. "As a fan of the shows, it doesn't matter that I sing or that I know anything about pitch or anything, I'm like everybody else at home. It's American Idol. And you're watching and you're a fan. So I thought, I'm gonna represent those people at home that have opinions. But then I just thought, like Howard says, I can't break this person's heart. I mean, let somebody else do that."

Jennifer Lopez  

Jenny From the Block first made her "American Idol" debut in Season 10 of the show as a replacement for DeGeneres. The singer/actress retuned for the next season but did not renew her contract for Season 12. However, Lopez was only gone for one season before she returned to the judges table for Season 13 of the show. Unlike DeGeneres, Lopez spoke of her love for being on the show.

"I was sobbing like two or three times," Lopez said of watching the most recent episode of "American Idol," according to People. "I'm like, 'I saw this already - why am I crying?' But that's the great thing about 'Idol,' it's just, it's all about dreams and family and love and all the great things about life, and so it'll be sad to see it go, but we're really enjoying and savoring every moment of this last season."
 

Steven Tyler

Legendary Aerosmith rocker Tyler signed on to "American Idol" alongside Jennifer Lopez for Season 10. Tyler's bizarre comments livened things up a bit during his two years on the show.

"After some long ... hard ... thoughts ... I've decided it's time for me to let go of my mistress 'American Idol' before she boils my rabbit," Tyler said in a statement, according to the Los Angeles Times. "I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I'm back - but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I've got two fists in the air and I'm kicking the door open with my band."

While the "Aerosmith" singer did depart the show after Season 12, he has nothing but fond memories of the show that discovered talent such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

"They've had a fantastic run. They invented the genre," Tyler told Entertainment Tonight. "Then the other shows took over and did the turning chairs and 'America's Got Talent' and all that stuff, which is great, great, great, but it took a little fire away from the initial thing."

"But they are American Idol! They will be that forever," the singer added.

Mariah Carey 

Carey was the first new judge announced for Season 12 of the television program. The diva could have given the hopeful singers a point or two about singing, but her time on the show was overshadowed by behind-the-scenes drama with fellow judge Minaj.

"That was the worst experience of my life," Carey said in an interview with the "Kyle & Jackie O" show on Australian radio station KIIS-FM 1065 in May 2015, according to E! News. "I'm not going to get into what it was, but let's just say I don't think they had any intentions for us to have a good experience doing that show."

"I mean, it's so boring and so fake," Carey continued. "I'm sorry, I just think it's, you know, when I say it's fake, I mean, it's just like, you have to make up things to say about people. Half the time, the performances are good, you'll just be like 'It was good.' You just feel like ending it there, like, 'It's really good.'"

Nicki Minaj

Like Carey, Minaj's time on "American Idol" was mostly known for her feud with her fellow judge and not helping the contestants out. Minaj also joined the FOX show in 2012 for Season 12, but her time was short lived and she was gone next season.

"Thank you American Idol for a life changing experience! Wouldn't trade it for the world! Time to focus on the Music!!! Mmmuuuaahhh!!!" Minaj wrote on her Twitter account.

Keith Urban

Country music superstar Keith Urban brought some sanity to the judge's table in-between the Carey vs. Minaj controversy in Season 12 of the show. The Australian Grammy-winning artist first appeared on "American Idol" in 2008 as a performer before he decided to take a seat on the panel. Urban is still on the show and is judging the farewell season alongside Lopez and Connick Jr.

"It's really an honor to have been invited to be a part of the 'American Idol' family," Urban said in a statement to CNN when he joined the show. "I'm looking forward to working with everyone and to seeing the same passion that I have for music in all of the participants."

Harry Connick Jr.

Connick Jr. was the last new judge to be hired on "American Idol." The singer/actor had appeared on the show numerous times before as either a performer or as a guest mentor for the contestants. He officially joined the show for Season 13 alongside Lopez and Urban, which is the current judging panel. While this season of "American Idol" is supposed to be its last, Connick Jr., isn't so sure.

"I wouldn't be surprised if, at some point, it came back. You notice they're not calling it the final season. They're calling it the "farewell" season," he told HNGN in an exclusive interview.

The farewell season of "American Idol" airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c on FOX.