Randy Jackson remains the only original judge in the mix…and even he’s shaky, they say.
We’ve made jokes around Se Fija! International Headquarters about how every singing competition on TV just has to have a Latina on the judging panel or it’s not a real show: Christina Aguilera on The Voice, Demi Lovato on The X-Factor, Gloria Estefan on the CW’s new competition, The Star next Door, and of course Jennifer Lopez on the granddaddy of ’em all, American Idol. But now Fox is going to have to start digging: Lopez has announced that–like Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler–she won’t be returning to Idol net year. She said it straight out on Friday, during an interview with Ryan Seacrest on his nationally syndicated radio show, “On the Air.”
“Something has to give,” she told Seacrest, “and that’s, I think, where I am right now.”
Though Lopez’ personal movie career is in the middle of a rough spot (her big release for the summer, What To Expect When You’re Expecting, with Cameron Diaz, was a resounding flop; it took weeks to struggle to $40 million domestically, which barely covers the above-the line costs. Translation for non-industry people: not good at all.) Her talent-search/talent show hybrid Q’Viva: The Chosen was embarrassingly under-watched on Fox as well. On the other hand, she’s a voice in the new Ice Age movie, continues to pump out popular songs and videos, has more cosmetics and scents than most people can count, and her production company, Nuyorican Productions, continues to cut deals with Fox and others, in search of that elusive Big Hit. She’s in no danger of fading away.
And neither is Idol. It will undoubtedly continue to struggle on without her, and it will be interesting to see if any prominent Latina or Latino end up in the judges’ chair for next season. There’s been plenty of loose talk already, with names like Mariah Carey, Adam Lambert, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Fergie and will.i.am as possible contenders. The only two with any Latino connection there is Mariah and Fergie, but time will tell.
“We had an amazing run,” she told Seacrest. Get more info on the past, present, and future of J.Lo and AI on this article from The Wrap.
