Kara DioGuardi will reportedly not be part of American Idol's upcoming tenth-season judging panel, which will feature Steven Tyler joining singer and actress Jennifer Lopez as a new judge. 

ADVERTISEMENT
American Idol has fired DioGuardi and settled on a three-person judging panel consisting of the Aerosmith singer, Lopez and returning judge Randy Jackson, according to multiple reports.

"Assuming all deals are finalized, the judge's panel will consist of Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler," TMZ reported late Thursday night.  "We're told the only way Kara could get a reprieve is if the J-Lo deal falls apart -- but we're told that deal is done."

Fox had no comment on reports of Tyler or Lopez's American Idol additions.

Reports that Lopez will be joining American Idol had surfaced earlier Thursday night and only a few hours after Fox and Ellen DeGeneres announced the comedian and daytime talk show host would be "bowing out" of Idol and leaving her judging position after just a single season.

Fox and DeGeneres announced her departure in a Thursday evening press release.

"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 in a statement.  "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."

Rumors that American Idol will undergo a large tenth-season shakeup that may result in the replacement of its entire judging panel have surged since multiple reports that former Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe -- who left the show in 2008 to focus on So You Think You Can Dance -- is near a deal to return to the show surfaced on Monday night.

Earlier this year, Lythgoe repeatedly told reporters he would address the departure of Simon Cowell -- who left Idol after this past May's ninth-season finale to launch an American adaptation of his British The X Factor reality competition that will debut on Fox in Fall 2011 -- by replacing Idol's entire judging panel and returning to a three-judge format (DioGuardi was added as a fourth judge shortly after Lythgoe's exit).

"I'd lose the fourth judge, I don't like four judges. I'd keep Ryan Seacrest and probably change the whole panel to go with [Elton John]," Lythgoe told the New York Post in March.

"I would replace the entire judging panel," he told Zap2it in April. "I don't think it really works replacing one person. They don't have a great deal of chemistry at the moment. Ryan and Simon have fallen out. It's uncomfortable to watch. Ellen hasn't worked out as well as we would have hoped."

Reports that American Idol has been eyeing John as Cowell's replacement first surfaced in January and have continued circulating despite repeated denials from his representatives.  In May, Access Hollywood reported John rejected a $33 million offer from the show.

On Thursday, Deadline Hollywood -- which first reported the news of Lopez's addition -- reported that Idol producers have been continuing to attempt to replace Cowell with John but he has been "asking for too much money and has too many touring commitments he can't get out of," resulting in Tyler possibly being offered the position.
FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS!
Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source!

Idol has also been considering Chris Isaak, Harry Connick Jr., Jessica Simpson, and Justin Timberlake as possible judging panel additions, according to recent reports.

DeGeneres joined American Idol last September -- after the show had already conducted its nationwide ninth-season callback auditions for the judging panel without her -- under what was reportedly a five-year contract.
About The Author: Steven Rogers
Steven Rogers is a senior entertainment reporter for Reality TV World and been covering the reality TV genre for two decades.