‘American Idol’ 2013: News Corp. Executive Will Oversee ‘Idol’ Season 13 After Judges, Executive Producers Depart Show

The drama behind the scenes at "American Idol" seems to be a never-ending source of confusion and mystery. Since the latter part of Season 12, the show has seen judges quit and producers get fired.

But TVLine is reporting that News Corp. (which owns Fox) television executive David Hill oversee the upcoming Season 13 of "American Idol," along with Season 3 of "The X Factor."

Hill will assume those particular responsibilities from Mike Darnell, Fox's former reality show chief who left the network during the Memorial Day Weekend. MStars previously reported on Darnell's departure, as well as his comments that "American Idol" and "The X Factor" probably hurt each other in the ratings.

MStars also wrote Wednesday that The Wrap reported the firing of longtime "American Idol" executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick. Both had been with the show since its first season in 2002, though Lythgoe left in 2008 only to return in 2010.

Former judges Randy Jackson (who had been with the show since Season 1), Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey have all departed the show since Season 12 ended a few weeks ago. The future of the only other Season 12 judge, Keith Urban, remains uncertain.

Ratings for "American Idol" declined greatly in Season 12 and all these maneuvers seem to be attempts to shakeup the reality singing competition and bring more eyeballs back to the program. One idea that has reportedly been floated around includes a judges' panel  of former "Idol" contestants, including Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Lambert and Clay Aiken.