American Idol became part of television history after it premiered in 2003. The show became a pop culture phenomenon. It introduced Kelly Clarkson to the world and the judging panel became household names.

Those judges, however, would have their credibility questioned when they appeared on The Howard Stern Show.

During one memorable appearance, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson were tricked by the radio host. The moment had such an effect on Cowell, he began joking that his entire credibility had been destroyed.

In 2003, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson made an appearance on The Howard Stern Show. During the interview, Stern brought in three singers for them to judge. He claimed this would give listeners a taste of what to expect on the show.

The first singer was a young lady named Christina, who claimed she auditioned for the show. According to Stern, Christina said she was rejected due to her ethnicity. However, she denied this was the reason.

After Christina finished singing, Cowell spoke up.

“Well, I can say exactly why you didn’t get through,” Cowell said. “Because she’s not a very good singer.”

Stern didn’t understand Cowell’s opinion, since he believed she sounded “like all the other dopes” on the show.

Abdul, however, believed Christina was a good singer. However, she didn’t think Christina was up to the level of what they were expecting.

“The bar has been raised from last season,” Abdul said. “The largest margin of people who came to audition this season were all good singers.”

• The next singer who came in to perform for the judges was Tim, who told Stern he had never auditioned for the show. He sang “Hero” by Chad Kroeger.
• Cowell asked Tim how old he was and when Tim revealed he was 30, Jackson said that was the reason he wouldn’t be put through. Cowell told Stern that Tim was “too old for this competition,” but believed it might change in the future.
• After Tim finished singing, Stern asked the judges for their honest opinions on his performance.
• “He’s alright,” Cowell said.
• Abdul said Tim had “a nice tone,” but had “no projection.” She also said he closed his eyes a lot when he sang and revealed the judges looked for contestants who would look them in the eye when singing. This shows them the singers can engage with the audience.
• Jackson agreed with Cowell and Abdul, saying, “He was alright though.”
• After the judges gave Stern their honest opinions, the radio host revealed Tim wasn’t this man’s real name. In fact, the man who had just sung for them was Josey Scott, who co-wrote and was featured with Kroeger on the actual song.