The
eleventh season of American Idol premiered on
Fox on January 18, 2012. The show aired on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8/7c.
Ryan Seacrest returned as host, while
Randy Jackson,
Steven Tyler, and
Jennifer Lopez all returned as judges.
Interscope Records Chairman
Jimmy Iovine, a songwriter and producer, also returned as an in-house mentor to work with the contestants on a weekly basis. This season followed the same format as
season 10, although a new title screen and logo were created, with a different font. Tyler and Lopez announced that they would be leaving the show two months after the finale. Though Lopez later returned as a judge for the show's
thirteenth season.