Why did Ellen DeGeneres decide to leave American Idol?
There has been speculation on why she has decided to leave American Idol. She says that it just wasn’t the "right fit" for her, but speculation suggests 3 other theories.
1. With Simon gone, and Kara DioGuardi reportedly being fired, the American Idol is going downhill, and fast. As a smart businesswoman, Ellen is smart to pull out before the show takes a turn down the drain. American Idol suffered last season after Paula left and with Kara trying to steal the show. After Simon is gone, the show simply will not be the same.
2. Ellen has her own record company to take care of. With the success of 12-year-old teen heart-throb Greyson Chance on her show, Ellen has decided to launch her own record company. Promoting and developing a brand for herself in this industry will be a lot of work–plus she doesn’t want to be promoting American Idols who will be direct competition for the type of people she is looking to sign.
3. She doesn’t need more work! Ellen is one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. She simply doesn’t need more to add to her plate with a family, a talk show, a record company, and her acting career.
Overall, Ellen is handling this very professionally. She is making a very smart move to pull out of American Idol at its peak. The show will suffer without all of the hype and fan base she brings to the show, but of course Ellen has made great relationships with everyone involved in the show and leaves on a high note. Even Simon admits to really enjoying her company!
On a recent Ellen show, Ellen told the audience that she had found her busy schedule was just not conducive to her staying with American Idol. A long time supporter of the show’s contestants, she seemed truly sad that she was just not able to keep devoting so much time to the Idol efforts.
She seemed to give the show a little bit of an edge, with her witty comments, but also appeared to be willing to say the hard things when they needed to be said. She always invites the "booted off" contestants to her show the next day and she did say that that would remain a tradition for her talk show.
Maybe some of the reason she left was to pursue her promising career as a hip hop dancer- LOL! I’m referring to the dance she did on So You Think You Can Dance finale– she had practiced for quite a while, she said, and it was a lot of fun! We all enjoyed watching her on stage as a "real" dancer.
Hopefully Ellen will come back to Idol as a guest judge in the upcoming season to bring her special approach to helping the talented singers make it to the #1 spot!
