After Two Seasons, Jennifer Lopez Reportedly Done With 'American Idol'
by Sean ComerE! Online's Marc Malkin claimed this afternoon an exclusive scoop that Jennifer Lopez will exit the "American Idol" judges' table after the current season.
Officially, Lopez has claimed that she hasn't made a final, official move one way or another yet. "She's just too busy," one source told Malkin. The woman that Forbest just today named its most powerful celebrity is on the cusp of launching a summer concert tour this summer in Latin America and the U.S. alongside Enrique Iglesias.
That jaunt reportedly expands into a worldwide affair this fall that will keep J.Lo on the road throughout what's left of 2012. It also puts her overseas and performing during the next "Idol" auditions. This season marked her second with a one-year deal - probably negotiated by Lopez just in case such a scenario arose.
"It is just like any working mom's dilemma," the mother to twins by ex-husband Marc Antony remarked to E! News at Monday's "What To Expect When You're Expecting" premiere. "It's tough. It's a balancing act. You put [your kids] first and then you have all these other things that you have to do, that you have to give your time to as well, and you have to make sure that they're OK in the process."
For several years now, it's been a challenge for "Idol" to lock down a steady slate of judges. Kara DioGuardi joined original judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell during 2009's eighth season. Abdul left following that campaign's completion, to be replaced in the next round by Ellen DeGeneres. She lasted a lone season herself before leaving in 2010 along with Cowell, who exited to focus on launching his FOX localization of "The X Factor", which premiered in 2011. DioGuardi's contract wasn't renewed, and that left only Jackson from the original gang.
When the 10th season premiered, it was the first with Lopez and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler.
Could this also mark a shift in FOX's battle for talent-search supremacy? As star-power goes, it seems a certainy. The rumored exit of Lopez comes hot on the heels of Cowell locking down Demi Lovato and Britney Spears to fill "X Factor" judging vacancies left by Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger's departures this past winter following the first season.