Ellen Degeneres quits 'American Idol' after one season as a judge

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Ellen Degeneres has quit American Idol after serving on the judges panel for one season, citing a busy work schedule and saying she felt it difficult to "judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings."

"A couple months ago, I let FOX and the American Idol producers know that this didn't feel like the right fit for me," Degeneres said on her website on Thursday.

Degeneres, host of daytime talk show The Ellen Degeneres Show, replaced Paula Abdul in the previous ninth season. Simon Cowell left the series after the May finale.

"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. It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for," she said.

"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," Degeneres said. "I loved the experience working on "Idol" and I am very grateful for the year I had. I am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be."

The American Idol judges table currently consists of Randy Jackson, who has been on the singing contest series since it began in 2002 and Kara DioGuardi, who joined the series in 2009.

"I loved Ellens passion for the artists and her nurturing skills," American Idol creator and executive producer Simon Fuller said in a statement. "She brought honesty and optimism to our judging panel and I will miss her greatly."

FOX entertainment chairman Peter Rice said: "We love Ellen and understand and support her decision to bow out of Idol. We were fortunate to receive the humor, energy and love for talent that she brought to the show."

Cowell has said he began to become bored with American Idol about two years ago and is set to launch in the fall of 2011 a new show, X Factor - the U.S. version of a talent competition series he judged and developed in the United Kingdom.

The ratings for the American Idol finale in May were the lowest recorded among its season ending episodes. General ratings for American Idol have more than tripled since the series debuted in 2002 but have declined slowly during the past few years. Peak ratings were recorded in about 2006, or the fifth season.

Nigel Lythgow is said to be nearing a deal to return as a producer of the show and even mentioned American Idol through what appeared to be a slip of the tongue on a recent episode of his dance contest show So You Think You Can Dance. FOX and production company 19 Entertainment have not commented about Lythgoe.

Lythgoe, who left his position as an American Idol producer two years ago, had told the website Zap2it he would replace the entire judging panel.

Jessica Simpson is the latest celebrity said to be involved in talks to possibly replace Cowell as a judge following his departure after the finale. Others said to have been courted include singers Chris Isaak and Harry Connick, Jr.

Auditions for American Idol's tenth season are underway. They began on July 17 in Nashville, Tennessee and took place in New Orleans on Monday. The minimum age eligibility of contestants has been lowered from 16 to 15, while the maximum age stands at 28. The last venue to audition for the show is in San Francisco on August 19 and the series is set to air in January.

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