Keith Urban, 'Tonight Show' Visit Covers 'American Idol' Future and Playgirl Past

Posted Jan 11th 2013 1:10PM by Stephen L. Betts
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Keith Urban Tonight Show NBC Universal

The men of "American Idol," Keith Urban, Ryan Seacrest and Randy Jackson, sat down with "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno to talk about the upcoming season and the drama that erupted between new judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj.

Keith explained that because he's seated between the two on the panel, he's had to play the role of neutral peacekeeper. "I was somewhat Switzerland between them for a moment," Keith said. "If you saw where I grew up playing, Jay, and some of the clubs I'm sure you've played as well, that's a nightly occurrence." (Watch a clip from the interview below.)

Asked whether the fights between them were staged for publicity, Keith joked, "I've got a restraining order against Randy right now." He then went on to note that because three of the four judges are new to the panel, "Everybody's raw ... The reason why the four of us were chosen is because we're very different and we disagree on things, we like different things. But the plus side is if the four of us agree on you, it's a magical moment."

Jay also took the opportunity to catch Keith off guard with photos from his past: mainly a pictorial spread in Playgirl magazine from 2002, which featured a naked Keith and a strategically placed guitar.

"People are eating at home right now, Jay," Keith said (apparently unaware of the time slot in which the late-night show actually airs!).

"Why did you pose for Playgirl?" Jay asked, to which Keith replied with a laugh, "Did you have a better magazine?"

Keith also reminisced about an Australian awards show of the '90s during which he appeared in cut-off shorts and "grunge" gear. And yes, Jay managed to dig up that video clip to further embarrass the country superstar.

Season 12 of "American Idol," featuring a fully-clothed Keith Urban, premieres Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 8:00 PM on FOX.

Watch Keith Urban's Embarrassing 'Tonight Show' Moment

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