American Idol Music
@nickmaslow 04/08/2016 AT 12:55 PM EDT Ryan Seacrest fought back tears at the end of American Idol's series finale Thursday. "And one more time - this is so tough - we say to you from Hollywood, goodnight America," said the show's longtime host.
American Idol is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by 19 Entertainment, and distributed by FremantleMedia North America. It began airing on Fox on June 11, 2002, and ended on April 7, 2016.
But Simon Cowell could not resist a reunion with his former co-stars. The 56-year-old judge surprised Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson the emotional finale of American Idol on Thursday night. The trio - who made up 'Idol's original judging panel - paid tribute to the reality TV show, which has ended after 15 seasons and reminisced on their time together as judges.