“American Idol” judge Jennifer Lopez has , leaving less than 24 hours after fellow judge Steven Tyler decided to bail Thursday.
“I honestly feel like the time has come that I have to get back to doing the other things that I do,” she told “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest this morning over the phone on his radio program.
Mere hours before Tyler issued his statement, J-Lo had told the “Today Show” Thursday she had yet to make up her mind
that Tyler’s departure played a role in her decision to stay or go.
“When I started ‘Idol’ … I signed on for one year. I didn’t even think about doing it for two years, let alone three,” she said.
Even before announcing his decision Thursday to leave “American Idol” as a judge, Steven Tyler was also unsure about his future on the show.
about the possibility of returning for a third season, the Aerosmith frontman said, “I don’t know. Itap TV, man. Even in a band you can get replaced.”
While there’s no word yet as to which celebrities will take Tyler’s and Lopez’s swivel chairs and Coke cups, the show is still on shaky ground when it comes to the 12th season next January.
Ratings for the show have been steadily declining (Do you remember who won this past season? No? Exactly.) and previous judge shake-ups haven’t helped matters.
Mike Darnell, president of Fox alternative entertainment, of Tyler, “we always knew when we hired a rock ’n’ roll legend, (and) he would go back to his music.”
Mainstay Randy Jackson is the only remaining original judge, having been with the show since its inception in 2002. ,Tyler said he did not make the decision to leave lightly.
“After some long… hard… thoughts… I’ve decided itap time for me to let go of my mistress ‘American Idol’ before she boils my rabbit,” he said.
Longtime host Seacrest will return, with an estimated $15 million salary. Tyler said he wanted to focus more on his music.
“I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I’m back — but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I got two fists in the air and I’m kicking the door open,” he stated. “The next few years are going to be dedicated to kicking some serious ass.”
Aerosmith plans to release a new album Nov. 6 titled, “Music From Another Dimension.”
As Tyler packs up his scarves and hats, he leaves “Idol” saying it was “over the top fun.” J-Lo’s simple goodbye was nothing compared to the rocker’s funny sign-off:
“I loved every minute of it,” he said. “Now itap time to bring Rock Back. ERMAHGERD.” -Kelsey Fowler
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Kelsey Fowler is the 2012 Features Intern at The Denver Post, currently studying nothing music-related at Ithaca College. Help keep her in the loop on .
