In a radio interview with Ryan Seacrest, Jennifer Lopez tearfully told the world that she has decided to leave American Idol.
Her admission came a day after Steven Tyler released a statement confirming that he was leaving Idol to go back to Aerosmith, which is about to release an album and embark on a tour later this year.
“It’s just really going to be hard for me to go. It’s just one of those special things in your life that you just don’t want to walk away from,” Lopez said, choking up as she talked to Seacrest, the host of Idol who also has his own radio show.
Lopez said her waffling back and forth was not a negotiating ploy.
“It wasn’t ever playing any games or doing anything or wanting more and more money. It wasn’t any of that. It was just being smart about making a business decision and I had to really be responsible in that moment.”
Lopez’s announcement was sort of expected after she had seemed to admit on the Today show yesterday morning that she was on the verge of walking away from the show. And after she heard that Tyler was leaving, she indicated that it would be hard to stay if he wasn’t going to be around because they had grown so close over the last two years.
“I can’t even imagine anyone else there right now because I’ve just spent two years sitting next to him,” she told the Associated Press after Tyler’s announcement. “I love Steven, and we became close during that time. We were a great support for each other, on an adventure that neither one of us knew what it was going to be. So it’s hard to hear that he won’t be doing it.”
