NEWSIt's Official: Jennifer Lopez Confirms She's Leaving 'American Idol'
July 13 2012, Published 3:25 p.m. ET
After weeks of speculation and interviews with Jennifer Lopez, the beloved singer and actress has finally confirmed that she's leaving American Idol.
Just one day after Steven Tyler announced his departure from the show, J.Lo revealed the heartbreaking news to her co-star Ryan Seacrest on his radio show this morning, saying, "The time has come."
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"It's just been a really long-thought process and I've been telling the absolute truth that I really have been torn," J.Lo began. "When I signed on to Idol, I signed on to do one year, and I wound up doing two years because I fell so in love with the show, everybody there, you guys... I've never felt so much part of a family of something as I did with Idol. And I didn't know I would be so moved emotionally by working on the show and working with the contestants... It was just a lovely surprise in my life to do it."
"One year was fine, but to go back and do it again it was like, 'Oh, God, I have my movies and my music and my this and my that.' And it all kind of worked together for awhile, but it just kind of got more complicated as the kids her twins, Max and Emme started to get bigger and it just sort of started feeling like a lot. Something had to give... something has to give and I think that's where I'm at right now."
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Ryan then pressed her for an official confirmation — is she staying or going?
"I really was dreading this phone call with you! Of all the people I've spoke to I have no problem not saying anything, but with you it's like, 'Ugh,' I'm going to cry," Jennifer told Ryan.
"I honestly feel like the time has come that I have to get back to doing the other things that I do, that I've put on hold because I love Idol so much," she explained. "I have a lot of other responsibilies and... I could just do Idol for the rest of my life, but that would be giving up a bunch of other things and I just feel like we had an amazing run."
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But J.Lo added that her run is never over!
"I feel like no matter what you guys need over there, I'm always going to be here. Like, if you call me, like, 'I need you to come for the first show,' I'll be like, 'Yes okay!' I feel like there's just that tie there. I just don't know if I can be there every single day, all the time, the way we've been doing the past two years."
"It sounds to me that you've made up your mind," Ryan said.
"Yeah," J.Lo confirmed, choking up a bit. "It's one of those special things in your life you don't want to walk away from."
