Jennifer Lopez ‘American Idol’ Rumor Denied By Fox
Jennifer Lopez won’t be replacing Mariah Carey on American Idol.
According to a Fox representative, the network currently doesn’t have any plans to replace Carey with Lopez. American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe has also denied these recent rumors.
“This is just another ridiculous ‘Idol’ judge rumor, likely started by talks of Jennifer Lopez performing on the finale,” a Fox rep recently confirmed.
“I have not been included in any conversation regarding replacing Mariah with Jen this season,” Lythgoe added. However, he didn’t say anything about next season.
Reports started surfacing earlier this week that Fox had a secret plan to replace Mariah Carey with Jennifer Lopez in an effort to boost the show’s sagging ratings. A source close to the situation soon passed the word along to the folks at TMZ and The Hollywood Reporter.
Another American Idol insider revealed that Carey, Keith Urban, and Randy Jackson weren’t the problems. Apparently some viewers have taken issue with Nicki Minaj. Since she doesn’t quite fit with the program’s demographic, many feel she is the cause of the poor ratings.
“The core viewer is a Midwestern, Southern, older woman who is threatened by Nicki’s aggressiveness,” the source explained.
It’s no secret that American Idol ratings haven’t been the greatest this season. Reports have suggested that only 12 million viewers have tuned into the singing competition over the past four weeks. This is considerable drop from the 30 million the network enjoyed during the show’s earlier days.
A source told RadarOnline that executives have been closely watching the program’s performance over the past few weeks. Since the show isn’t pulling in strong numbers, there’s a chance some changes could be made to the formula for next season.
“At the moment, and as the recent figures have shown, it’s financially performing under par because of its high production costs. The network will look at that and consider what to do next,” the insider explained.
Do you think Jennifer Lopez should return to American Idol next season? Who would you like to see her replace?
[Image via cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com]
