Abdul came back to fill in for Luke Bryan, who recently tested positive for COVID-19, and had a virtual reunion with another fellow panelist from back in the day, Randy Jackson.
As host Ryan Seacrest brought his iPad over to Abdul, he turned it to reveal Jackson on the screen, video-chatting with them.
“Miss Paula Abdul, it feels like old times, right?” Jackson said.
“Yes, it does, we’re just missing the STD,” Abdul replied.
“The — the what?” Seacrest said.
“The super talented! Super talented,” Abdul said quickly.
After a slight delay ― and perhaps some thinking on her feet in the live broadcast ― she added “super talented debonair” to complete the suspicious abbreviation.
“I can’t believe I said that,” Abdul can be heard telling current judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie off to the side.
Abdul, Cowell and Jackson served as judges for the first several seasons of “American Idol” beginning in 2003. Whether it was a diss, a friendly fire or just something odd that came out of her mouth on Monday, Abdul will forever be the talent show’s girl.
