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Ellen DeGeneres may not be the only woman leaving her post on "American Idol."
According to TMZ.com, Kara DioGuardi has been fired from FOX's hit show.
Although the songwriter apparently was given the pink slip, DeGeneres made the decision on her own to leave the talent show immediately, opting out of the remainder of a four-year contract.
With DeGeneres out, Jennifer Lopez is reportedly close to signing a deal to take over the empty seat, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
But that's not the only big change in store for "Idol."
Though Bret Michaels appeared to be the front-runner to replace departing judge Simon Cowell, reports Thursday night claim Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler is in the lead, reports GossipCop.com.
If all deals go as planned, the reality show reportedly will revert to its original three-judge format, consisting of Lopez, Tyler and original judge Randy Jackson.
DeGeneres said her departure had been in the works for some time.
"A couple months ago, I let Fox and the ‘American Idol' producers know that this didn't feel like the right fit for me," she said in a statement. "I told them I wouldn't leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next."
DeGeneres, 52, the host of the daytime "Ellen DeGeneres Show," said the added prime-time workload "became more than I bargained for."
"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.
She took over the seat vacated last August by Paula Abdul, who was known as the sometimes ditzy but nice judge who left the show over a contract dispute.
Cowell announced before the show's ninth season premiered in January that he was leaving to start his own Fox talent show, "The X Factor."
Peter Rice, chairman of entertainment for Fox Networks Group, said there were no hard feelings over DeGeneres' decision.
"We were fortunate to receive the humor, energy and love for talent that she brought to the show," Rice said.
Tryouts for season 10 of "Idol" began July 17 in Nashville.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/t...l#ixzz0vDbHrzzH
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