The search for the third 'American Idol' judge for next season has been a confusing whirlwind.

First, will.i.am was asked and turned down the offer. Then, Dr. Luke reportedly joined the judging panel but then bowed out due to a conflict of interest. Now, Harry Connick Jr. is in talks to join Keith Urban and Jennifer Lopez on the judging panel in 2014.

E! News has confirmed that the 45-year-old singer and pianist is in talks to join the reality singing competition. Sources told E! now that Dr. Luke backed out due to a conflict of interest, Connick Jr. is the next in line, while ongoing negotiations for him to join are currently taking place.

Connick Jr. has previously appeared on 'Idol' as a mentor and performer. He also served as a guest judge last season, and he told E! that he'd been approached to join the show in a "more than recurring capacity."

"It's a fun show. It's been talked about before, who knows what'll happen in the future," he said. "What I've done thus far on the show has been really fun, so I've had a great time."

He added that judges need to be diplomatic and honest. "I think there's no reason to be mean, but it is called being a judge," he said. "You have to judge. That's what you do."

Connick Jr.'s reps and Fox declined to comment to E! In an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May, Connick Jr. told the comedian he wasn't sure about becoming a full-time judge. "Well, yeah, I mean I had a really good time! I had a good time mentoring," he told Ellen. "Judging is a whole different deal; I don't know how good I would be at that." 

With the search still on for the third judge, Fox has not set audition dates yet. The thirteenth season of 'American Idol' is set to premiere January 2014.