Ellen Voted Off American Idol After One Season and I've Got The Perfect Replacement

http://ontheroad.radio.com/2010/07/30/ellen-voted-off-american-idol-after-one-season/#more-3372

Ok, maybe she wasn’t voted off, but she did decide to step down as one of the judges on American Idol. For all the details behind the talk show hosts decision, keep reading after the jump!

It turns out, Ellen realized she was not the right fit for the show early on explaining that the schedule was more than she expected and that she did not like to discourage young talent by negatively criticizing their performances. In a statement released by the network she said:

A couple months ago, I let Fox and the American Idol producers know that this didn’t feel like the right fit for me. I told them I wouldn’t leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next. It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for. I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings. I loved the experience working on IDOL and I am very grateful for the year I had. I am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be.

Even though we are fans of the blonde talk show host, we never felt she was a good fit for the show and it was very obvious that she didn’t enjoy criticizing the new talent. However, that does not negate that fact that she will be missed by viewers. Now that former judge Simon Cowell is out and Ellen has departed it leaves room for two new judges to join the panel.

This news comes as reports of super producer Nigel Lythgoe’s return to the show began surfacing this week. Although Degeneres states that her reasons to leave came early on in her tenure as a judge in Season 9 of the show, we cannot help but notice that her exit may be due to internal changes going on as Lythgoe returns.

Perhaps the rumors of Justin Timberlake and Elton John joining the American Idol judge panel were more than just rumors. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

I'd like to make a suggestion. Phil Spector. He's been a record producer, songwriter, felon. Might be kind of fun to watch him flip-out and bitch slap Randy Jackson after one of his interminable "it was a little pitchy daaaawg" reviews.