Steven Tyler confirmed he is leaving American Idol, Randy Jackson may follow him
Rock musician Steven Tyler, who made his debut as Idol judge on January 19, 2011 during the show's tenth season premiere, has recently announced that he is leaving "American Idol". The judge revealed that he is stepping down from the Fox reality show to concentrate on his work with Aerosmith. The news comes shortly after fellow judge Jennifer Lopez announced that she is "torn" over whether to leave the show after her upcoming summer tour.
In his official statement, Tyler said: "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. I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith, and I'm back - but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I've got two fists in the air and I'm kicking the door open with my band. The next few years are going to be dedicated to kicking some serious ass - the ultimate in auditory takeover."
He also added: "Idol was over-the-top fun, and I loved every minute of it... Now it's time to bring rock back."
Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment at the Fox Network, paid tribute to Tyler, saying: "It's been a tremendous honor to have Steven - one of the most prolific artists in the world - on American Idol for the past two seasons. We are very sad that Steven has chosen to focus more on his music, but we always knew when we hired a rock 'n' roll legend, he would go back to the music. We all wish him all the best and would love to have him back on the show anytime."
On the season finale this year, in May Aerosmith debuted "Legendary Child" - their lead single from new album Music From Another Dimension!, set to come out on November 6.
Idol creator Simon Fuller echoed the sentiment, adding: "If you had told me ten years ago he would be a judge on American Idol, I would have thought it impossible. The fact that this became a reality and we had the pleasure of him gracing our stage for two seasons makes me very proud. I completely understand his desire to get back to his life as the singer in America's greatest-ever rock band."
Two new names were recently linked to the show, Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry have both been rumoured to take the spots at the judging table on the show, although the "Part of Me" singer later ruled herself out of the running.
Latest report on "American Idol" shake-up says that Randy Jackson is also going to step down from his role as a judge, which he has tackled since the first season, as US Weekly recently reports.
"[Show producers] think they need to freshen everything up now," Us Weekly wrote. The musician/record producer, however, may still be part of the singing competition as the source adds, "And they will move Randy into a more mentoring role."
To fill the empty spot, the producers are reportedly "in serious talks" with Mariah Carey to have her as a new judge.