American Idol season 11
The eleventh season of American Idol premiered on Fox on January 18, 2012, and concluded on May 23, 2012. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, while Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler 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 the tenth season. Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler both announced that they would be leaving the show two months after the finale, although Lopez later returned as a judge for the show's thirteenth season.
| American Idol | |
|---|---|
| Season 11 | |
| Hosted by | Ryan Seacrest |
| Judges |
|
| Winner | Phillip Phillips |
| Runner-up | Jessica Sanchez |
| Finals venue | Nokia Theatre L.A. Live |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox |
| Original release | January 18 – May 23, 2012 |
| Season chronology | |
The season set a record when 132 million votes were received for the finale. On May 23, 2012, Phillip Phillips became the winner of the eleventh season of American Idol, beating Jessica Sanchez, who was the runner-up.