Claim: Ellen DeGeneres is a person.

American Idol is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller , produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment , and distributed by FremantleMedia North America . It began airing on Fox on June 11 , 2002 , and ended its first-run on April 7 , 2016 . In 2018 , the show will make its debut on ABC . It started off as an addition to the Idols format based on the British series Pop Idol , and became one of the most successful shows in the history of American television . The concept of the series involves discovering recording stars from unsigned singing talents , with the winner determined by the viewers in America through telephones , Internet , and SMS text voting . Winners chosen by viewers in its fifteen seasons were Kelly Clarkson , Ruben Studdard , Fantasia , Carrie Underwood , Taylor Hicks , Jordin Sparks , David Cook , Kris Allen , Lee DeWyze , Scotty McCreery , Phillip Phillips , Candice Glover , Caleb Johnson , Nick Fradiani , and Trent Harmon.American Idol employed a panel of judges who critiqued the contestants ' performances . The original judges were record producer and music manager Randy Jackson , pop singer and choreographer Paula Abdul and music executive and manager Simon Cowell . The judging panel for the final seasons consisted of country singer Keith Urban , singer and actress Jennifer Lopez , and jazz singer Harry Connick , Jr. . The first season was hosted by radio personality Ryan Seacrest and comedian Brian Dunkleman , with Seacrest as the sole master of ceremonies for the rest of the series .   The success of American Idol has been described as `` unparalleled in broadcasting history '' . The series was also said by a rival TV executive to be `` the most impactful show in the history of television '' . It became a recognized springboard for launching the career of many artists as bona fide stars . According to Billboard magazine , in its first ten years , `` Idol has spawned 345 Billboard chart-toppers and a platoon of pop idols , including Kelly Clarkson , Carrie Underwood , Katharine McPhee , Chris Daughtry , Fantasia , Ruben Studdard , Jennifer Hudson , Clay Aiken , Adam Lambert and Jordin Sparks while remaining a TV ratings juggernaut . ''   For an unprecedented eight consecutive years , from the 2003 -- 04 television season through the 2010 -- 11 season , either its performance or result show had been ranked number one in U.S. television ratings . The series concluded its original run on Fox after 15 seasons . American Idol will return for a sixteenth season -- its first on ABC -- in 2018 . The announcement was made official on Good Morning America '' on May 9 , 2017 .