One month ago, a report revealed that there were major changes ahead for American Idol, including the planned replacement of all four judges - including veteran judge Randy Jackson - and also the ousting of longtime producer Nigel Lythgoe. In the weeks since then, one-by-one, those rumors have started to come true. Randy announced that he was leaving the show. Weeks later, Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey also announced their departures. Fox Alternative Entertainment President Mike Darnell made his exit since Idol wrapped up its twelfth season. And the latest to exit the series are Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick.
EW shared the news, citing tweets from Lythgoe, who announced that he was fired from the Fox singing competition after 12 seasons.
Lythgoe assured fans that his departure from Idol doesn't mean he's leaving So You Think You Can Dance.
Also departing the series, according to EW, is longtime executive producer Ken Warwick. From the statement Fox made, it doesn't sound like they're looking to sever ties with the producers completely, only as it relates to Idol. And given the ratings drop for the series over the last five years or so, that's not especially surprising, though we are left to wonder who will be brought in to pick the show up and attempt to run with it.
There's been no official word on the status of judge Keith Urban or host Ryan Seacrest. Of the two, Seacrest seems most likely to stick around. Or, at the very least, Fox would be wise to keep the host around if they can. As for Urban, he was likable enough as a host, but if the rumors about a complete overhaul at the judges table are true (and three out of four indicates that much), it may just be a matter of time before we hear confirmation of his departure.
