By Christopher John Farley
 - Getty Images
- Ellen DeGeneres says she’s leaving “American Idol.”
Ellen DeGeneres has finally proven she can be a tough judge–at least when it comes to judging herself.
Tonight, DeGeneres, who is also a talk show host and a stand-up comic, announced that she’s exiting her post as a judge on the popular singing competition. The number of viewers watching the show dipped 9% in the most recent season compared with a year earlier, and many critics complained that the quality of the contestants on the show wasn’t up to previous years. On top of all that, last season was Simon Cowell’s final run on the series. The tart-tongued judge is at the heart of “American Idol’s” success. Cowell calls it like he sees it, and the viewers appreciate it.
In a statement put out tonight, DeGeneres said that one of the reasons that she’s leaving the show is that she felt uncomfortable standing in judgment of others. Which is tough since, you know, her job was to stand in judgment of others. “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,” she said in a statement.
Here are some of DeGeneres’s “Idol” highlights–and lowlights:
Coddling Crooners: €See you tomorrow on my show,” DeGeneres said to singer Siobhan Magnus after the singer was eliminated on April 28. Throughout the end of the season, DeGeneres offered up her own talk show as a place for eliminated “Idols” to perform–and maybe get a second chance with the public. The problem: Not all the booted singers necessarily merited another shot at stardom. At some point, when you’re a judge of talent, you have to focus on the folks who really deserve the spotlight.
Laugh Lines: DeGeneres proved to have the quickest wit of any “Idol” judge. On April 27, she told contestant Aaron Kelly that she couldn’t believe how well he sang given that he was only 16 years old. €Seventeen,€ Aaron corrected her. €Oh, now Im not as impressed,€ Ellen replied. On another show, she compared singer Tim Urban to tequila €” saying that he improves the more you drink. And on July 29, she delivered what recapper Brian R. Fitzgerald called an early bid for the line of the night, about Casey James. €Youre going to set a lot of womens hearts racing € (Pause) € But for people like me €€ (Pause again) € €Blonds €€
Judging Talent: The show’s judges are charged with finding the next “American Idol”–someone with talent who will draw a mass audience. It remains to be seen whether ninth season winner Lee DeWyze and runner-up Crystal Bowersox will become big stars. DeGeneres recently signed young pianist and Lady Gaga admirer Greyson Michael Chance to a record deal on her newly-created label–and the jury is out on Chance’s mass appeal as well. DeGeneres, on her first “American Idol” show, said that she knows €what it is like to stand on stage and try to please a room full of people.€ In her press release today, she suggested that she would rather please people than criticize them. Which is fine for a talk show host, but maybe not so great for a judge.
What do you think of Ellen leaving “American Idol”? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
For more on Ellen leaving “American Idol,” go here.
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