Lopez herself said, 'I honestly feel like the time has come that I get back to doing the other things that I do.'
- Jul 14, 2012
AceShowbiz - Jennifer Lopez makes it official on Friday, July 13 that she won't return to "American Idol" next year. A day after talking to NBC's "Today" about the possibility of her leaving the show after two years, her representative, Mark Young, confirmed that the singer is indeed making a departure.
Lopez herself appeared on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on Friday morning to address the situation. "I really have been torn," she said. "When I signed on to 'Idol,' I signed on to do one year. I ended up doing two years ... It was just such a lovely surprise in my life to do it."
She continued, "It gets more complicated as the kids get a little bigger. It started feeling like it was a lot. Something had to give ..,that's where I am right now." Lopez is mother to 4-year-old twins, her children with ex-husband Marc Anthony.
Seacrest, who hosts "Idol", pushed her to make a more definitive answer, asking "Does that mean we're co-workers or not?" Lopez said, "I honestly feel like the time has come that I get back to doing the other things that I do. We had an amazing run."
Whether it was a negotiation that fell through or not, Lopez said, "It's one of those special things in your life that you don't want to walk away from. I wasn't playing games or wanting more money. It was being smart about making a business decision, and I have to be responsible in that moment."
Lopez's announcement came a day after co-judge Steven Tyler made an announcement that he's quitting the show as well. "After some long...hard...thoughts...I've decided it's time for me to let go of my mistress 'American Idol' before she boils my rabbit," Tyler said on Thursday. "I strayed from my first love, AEROSMITH, and I'm back..."
