Toby Keith turns down "American Idol" gig
It's anyone's guess who will round out the judging seats alongside Mariah Carey for season 12 of American Idol, but one thing's for certain-- country superstar Toby Keith will not be one of them.
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A spokesperson for the singer, who recently co-hosted the Country Music Awards with Kristen Bell, confirmed to CountryWeekly.com that, although he was "flattered" to be offered the gig, Toby ultimately turned down the coveted offer from American Idol.
While Keith's tell-it-like-it-is personality would have made a great fit for the talent competition, word is his country music colleague Brad Paisley is currently mulling the offer. Nick Jonas and rapper Pharrell Williams are also rumored to be in the running for the seats recently vacated by judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.
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Keith recently had his gallbladder removed and was forced to reschedule his show Thursday at Fort McCoy in Sparta, Wisconson. A spokesperson for the 51-year-old singer says "he is doing fine after the outpatient procedure" and will resume his Live in Overdrive tour Friday at the WE Fest in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.