Comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres apparently won't be reprising her Idol Gives Back co-hosting duties after all.
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"Ellen, we were told, couldn't do it due to personal production pressure and it's going to be taken over by [Ryan Seacrest]," Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe told reporters during a Wednesday conference call, according to Zap2It.com.
The second-annual Idol concert and fund-raising event benefiting various U.S. and international charities will air Wednesday, April 9 at 7:30PM ET/PT.
Last April's Idol Gives Back event raised more than $76 million and included DeGeneres hosting a live charity concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, CA while Seacrest manned the Idol stage at CBS Television City.
She was once again tapped to host this year's benefit concert at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre, which was scheduled to tape April 6 and not air live.
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"We've got a lot of co-hosts," Lythgoe told reporters about this year's plan. "There's a lot of stars [that are] gonna be coming on that stage, so it isn't like last year. You know, there's a lot of really good people coming on that stage to introduce people."
Maroon 5, Heart, Gloria Estefan and Boyz II Men are all scheduled to perform at the charity event.
In addition, Bono, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Miley Cyrus, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Mariah Carey, Fergie, Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox, John Legend, Snoop Dogg, Fantasia Barrino, Elliott Yamin, Robin Williams, Celine Dion, Forest Whitaker, Billy Crystal, Dane Cook, Kiefer Sutherland, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Jennifer Connolly, and Amy Adams have all been previously announced as participating.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio