Ellen Degeneres to leave American Idol

Ellen Degeneres is leaving “American Idol” after just one season

Ellen Degeneres is leaving “American Idol” after just one season, Fox News announced in an e-mail statement from the host sent today.

“American Idol “ has been the most-watched show in the U.S. for seven years, but saw a drop of 9 percent in the ratings last season.

“This didn’t feel like the right fit for me,” DeGeneres said. “While I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings.”

Part of the statement was the reaction by the network. “We love Ellen and understand and support her decision to bow out,” said Peter Rice, entertainment chairman at Fox Networks.

Degeneres’ departure follows that of Simon Cowell, the highly-critical judge who will be set to work in another talent show in the same broadcasting network.

News Corp., owner of Fox, saw its stock lose 2 cents to slide to $12.96 today at the Nasdaq Stock Market.

The highly-rated singing contest attracted an average of 24.9 million viewers during Tuesdays, and 23.7 million viewers during Wednesdays last season. It was also the most popular show for the 18-49 year old demographic which is a prime target for advertisers.

Cowell announced earlier this year that he would be leaving “American Idol” to host a U.S. version of “X Factor”, the show which he created in the U.K., and on which he will act as executive producer and judge. Fox is yet to name his replacement.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Friday July 30 2010, 9:55 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Entertainment, Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0