Ellen DeGeneres to replace Paula Abdul!!! Yes!!!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009, 09:27 PM | American Idol 9
Tags: Ellen DeGeneres, Paula Abdul

Ellen DeGeneres is the new fourth judge!

Hallelujah! Thank you Paula Abdul! American Idol 9 will be the best season ever!!!

38 Comments for Ellen DeGeneres to replace Paula Abdul!!! Yes!!!

1

This will be interesting. I love Ellen! I am worried that she doesn’t have the musical background to really give meaningful advice, but I think people will love her because she is one of the nicest people in showbiz and she’s funny.

Sandy on September 9, 2009 at 9:36 pm
2

Is she going to be a guest judges or will she be the permanent judge for Hollywood Week/Finals?

I think she’s very entertaining but come on now, what does she know musically?

Simon Cowell: Music executive
Randy Jackson: Music producer
Kara Dioguardi: Songwriter
Ellen Degeneres: Certified lesbian

Might as well put in Dakato Fanning, the cast of iCarly, my auntie Joy, and my neighbor’s dog on the panel too. If Ellen, with NO MUSICAL BACKGROUND can be a judge, then all the people I’ve listed can too.

Talea Gokey on September 9, 2009 at 9:45 pm
3

OH MY GOD.

I just want to scream, but I can’t because here in brazil it’s 11 p.m. I LOVE ELLEN.
Thank god paula left. This really is gonna be the BEST season ever. CAN YOU IMAGINE ELLEN WITH SIMON?????? OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD.

Breno Adegas on September 9, 2009 at 9:57 pm
4

I don’t know how I really feel about this choice. Although I LOVE Ellen, I really feel that they need someone that is going to be able to judge the contestants. I mean TRULY judge them and not afraid to tear into them for f-ing up.

ah on September 9, 2009 at 10:05 pm
5

One more thing, in response to that poll you had earlier… out of those selections, Shania Twain would’ve been the best choice as she knows country (a genre that has launched the likes of Carrie and Kelli) and she can actually sing. Plus I think it would do her well to get back into something. Plus she’s a great song writer compared to Kara.

ah on September 9, 2009 at 10:09 pm
6

I absolutely adore Ellen….but I thought American Idol was a singing contest. Does this mean we’ll have people auditioning their stand-up act? LOL Seriously, it might be a very smart idea on TPTB’s part. People WILL watch just because Ellen is so funny.

Fe on September 9, 2009 at 10:16 pm
7

i think this is great !
what advice did paula ever really give anyway ? randy and simon take care of that…

ellen loves music she’s a fan of the show…she’ll be funny and intelligent and most important i won’t have to fast forward anymore !!! yeaaay

idolchatter on September 9, 2009 at 10:20 pm
8

I’m excited that Ellen will be joining Idol, albeit I don’t like having four judges.

Ellen may not have the experience like other judges, but that is one of the reasons I like her – she is just like the rest of us. We find so much to talk about on here and Rickey TV, just imagine the comments she will bring to the judges table. Who knows, she may have better advice than Randy and Ms. No Boundaries put together.

Yay Ellen!

Moe007 on September 9, 2009 at 10:23 pm
9

I love Ellen…really really love her but i am uncertain too about this.
One thing for sure she will keep it lighthearted. Let’s be real Paula was never hard on any of the contestants Ellen can fill that role.

soccerdude on September 9, 2009 at 10:28 pm
10

I think this was a genius move! Ellen may not have musical training, but she knows what it takes to be a performer and she can be considered “the people’s judge,” since she is not a music expert. She will bring an additional (and needed) entertainment aspect to the panel of judges. People had been complaining about the length of time American Idol devoted to the judges. With Ellen on board at least that aspect of the show will be funny and fun!

BellaB on September 9, 2009 at 10:38 pm
11

THEY SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN MICHAEL SLEZAK AND KRISTEN BALDWIN FROM EW’S IDOLATRY.

Seriously, those two know the show and always know what the public like. Rickey knows what I mean since he always posts their vids up here.

Talea Gokey on September 9, 2009 at 10:56 pm
12

No fair. I LOVE Ellen. I am now strongly tempted to watch this wretched show. aaaaaaaargh

hesterprune on September 9, 2009 at 11:05 pm
13

YAAAAAAY!!!!!!
Just watched her announcement of it. She says she hopes she’s going to be able to bring in the average Joe kind of opinion.
SO excited! AI is gonna be awesome!

Shollia on September 9, 2009 at 11:13 pm
14

This is a further disrespect to Paula…do we know what Ellen’s salary is? If it’s more than they would have paid Paula, it’s def a slap.

Marie Ruffin on September 9, 2009 at 11:30 pm
15

I’m happy about Ellen, but sad about having 4 judges again. You know what this means…. Randy has got to go. haha

Claire on September 9, 2009 at 11:41 pm
16

I love Ellen but not as an AI judge. She was a disaster on SYTYCD. Not funny. Really disappointed. Shania would have been soooo much better. This will really change the dynamics of the show and not for the better. So sad.

Susan on September 9, 2009 at 11:52 pm
17

l.o.l.

Andrew on September 10, 2009 at 12:30 am
18

Really super sad to see Paula go and was probably not going to watch this season, but I love Ellen and think she’ll be great. She’s very kind and will really encourage the contestants and bring some humor. She doesn’t sing, but she does love music and she’s a huge fan of the show. I think she’ll be an awesome addition and I’m excited about it.

Kathy on September 10, 2009 at 12:39 am
19

Yey for Ellen. I don’t really care about Ellen not having musical background. Does the comments of the other judges relevant to the performance? They talk about pitchy and sharp and flats, but they are always talking about the same thing over and over again. I didn’t really care about the comments, only when they trash good performances and praise to death mediocre ones. I plan to stop religiously watching AI, but Ellen made me watch the show full time again next year.

Pete on September 10, 2009 at 12:39 am
20

I love Ellen, love her, but WHAT THE F***

Seriously? I honestly thought the article was a joke when i started to read it.

wtf

this is AMERICAN IDOL, and next season there won’t be the original 3 judges, the classic setting, there will be no paula and frickin ellen.

This has to be a joke.
I haven’t taken this show seriously since season 7, and its just getting more and more ridiculous.

Nothing against ellen, i LOVE her, but wtf seriously.

R.I.P. American Idol <3 it ended without warning they coulda said beforehand that season 7 would be the last real season with the original stuff still in place. i wasn't prepared for it to go away <3

rachel9isfine on September 10, 2009 at 12:52 am
21

anyone who thinks any of the original 3 judges should have been/should be replaced sure isn’t a true idol fan.
omg this is such a joke.
Love you ellen <3 but ughhh this pisses me off so much.

rachel9isfine on September 10, 2009 at 12:55 am
22

@Talea Gokey:

“Ellen Degeneres: Certified lesbian”

What does that have anything to do with being a judge on American Idol? Ugh.

Moe007 on September 10, 2009 at 1:28 am
23

Awesome choice. As for Ellen not having a musical background, so what? We all judge the contestants with every performance. It’s the public who buys the music. We don’t have to have a musical background to know what we like and whether or not we think the performance was good. How much musical background did it take for Paula to judge Jason Castro before he even performed? Ellen will make having 4 judges tolerable and will bring a kinder, gentler side to the table.

jennings on September 10, 2009 at 2:15 am
24

LAME!

Seriously was the producer not clued into how ev1 hated the subtraction of extra songs cuz of 4 judges?

Oh and if she is sitting next to simon, im gonna say they will have more retarded bs time wasting moments then with paula.

Infact Randy should be next to Simon since he only says same 3 words, then is done. Atleast make the show 30 mins longer or some shit.

Less judges and actual full songs would make the show better DUH!!!!

MJSBLOGSUCKS on September 10, 2009 at 8:41 am
25

I love Ellen, but like many of you, I’m a little concerned. Actually, Ellen is a good singer. She just doesn’t make her living recording music. Still, 4 judges is too many.

Here’s a suggestion: Keep Ellen and dump either Randy or Kara. I can never understand a word Randy says, and Kara doesn’t bring much to the dance. Ellen will definitely have more interesting things to say than either of them.

By the way, that remark “Ellen Degeneres: Certified lesbian” is SO Gokey.

Fletch on September 10, 2009 at 9:03 am
26

I understand why Ellen would be tempted to take this gig as a fan but, Ellen, this was not a good career move.

I have no idea what Idol thinks it needs that she provides. She’s the voice of the people? NO, dear, the people are the voice of the people when they vote. FFS.

I hated the four judges format. In the best of times the contestants get little time to perform, in the worst? They get bumped into the next hour’s program.

druzilla on September 10, 2009 at 9:49 am
27

I saw a quote from Ellen int he LA Times and she said:

“[...] Hopefully I’m the people’s point of view because I’m just like you. I sit at home and I watch it and I don’t have that technical . . . I’m not looking at it in a critical way from the producer’s mind. I’m looking at it as a person who is going to buy the music and is going to relate to that person.”

That’s interesting because in my view, Paula was most valuable as a great gauge of male hotness, charisma, IT (sadly, especially when she was overmedicated like in Season 7). Though Kara fills that role somewhat, I think Kara is more musical-excitement oriented (for both sexes) as is Randy. Simon seems distant from hotness/it.

It will be interesting to see where Ellen places in all of this.

violet4ever on September 10, 2009 at 11:48 am
28

I love Ellen and I think she will be a wonderful addition to the show. Real people, like her, are the ones who buy the albums that these folks will making. We need a non-industry judge!
Yippee, Ellen is coming to AI.

Bobbie Joe on September 10, 2009 at 11:51 am
29

As much as I like Ellen as a talk show host, I don’t think she fits AI… I echo what Michael says in his article.

http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/09/10/ellen-degeneres-american-idol-gah/

HillandStateAA on September 10, 2009 at 1:07 pm
30

They had so many TIME RESTRICTIONS with four judges that they always went past 10PM. Now with Ellen there, you can already tell that her lesbian banter will go 4 hours past 10PM.

Talgokz on September 10, 2009 at 2:55 pm
31

I’m just wondering how you can call yourself a true Idol fan when you’re cool with them screwing Paula. All she wanted was to be paid what she deserved. Ellen will probably get more than what Paula was asking for and she sucks as a judge. This show will not be the same without Paula and I can’t wait until people stop watching when they realize the magic is gone. I give this show another two years, three if they’re lucky. Five years is a joke and they are going to be paying Ellen for the other two she has in her contract.

BCSN24 on September 10, 2009 at 3:12 pm
32

Hmm… I agree with “ah” that Shania would have been a great selection. She was a crossover success and probably has a better idea of what is required than Ellen does. Personally, I’d be fine with the elimination of the judges after the top 10/12. After that point they basically push their agenda and they’ve admitted they can’t hear very well live – so sometimes their comments about pitchiness, etc. seem way off-base to TV viewers.

I wonder if Ellen will be funny all the time. I’m not sure I’m watching AI for comedy. And, if she isn’t funny, will that irritate her fans? It seems like a potential lose-lose situation for her.

Oh, well… I hardly listen to what the judges say anyway. As long as Ellen puts through people who Simon would’ve passed on like Chris Daughtry, David Cook and Kris Allen, I’ll be fine.

Daisy on September 10, 2009 at 4:53 pm
33

Re singer time lost with 4 judges – did everyone notice that this past year they switched to having Idols do more than 1 song in a later week?

Season 7
Top 5 – started two songs each
Top 3 – started 3 songs each (toughafter homecoming weekend)

Season 8
Top 4 – started 2 songs each (one a duet)
Top 2 – Only week with 3 songs each

violet4ever on September 10, 2009 at 5:58 pm
34

honestly, this past season sucked. they had good talent on, but the format was lacking. Kara was unnecessary. The Simon, Randy and Paula formula was still working and Kara simply echoed whatever the person before her said.

But since Paula is being replaced, and the show must go on, Ellen is a great choice.

I miss Season 5 when everyone was a nobody, with no prior experience and we got to see them grow and learn on the show. Last season the mentors got more air time than the contestants. I wanted to see them learn from the mentors, not see the mentors perform.

Kathy on September 10, 2009 at 8:27 pm
35

I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this, but Ellen does this thing with her musical guests where they ’sing in her bathroom’ with her, LOL. She did this with Jennifer Hudson, Katie Perry, and Pink to name a few. So, Ellen does kinda sorta sing, hee hee.

Fe on September 10, 2009 at 9:17 pm
36

Loooove Ellen and she will add a lot of fun to a sinking show. If Kara’s so-called “experience” int he music industry is her “song writing” skills–then, I think “No Boundaries” can clear up any confusion that anyone here may have had if they thought that she could write music. I can only hope that Ellen was brought on so they can get rid of dip shit Kara since the producers MUST realize that 4 judges DO NOT WORK!!! Buy Kara out her freakin’ contract and send her on her way! So happy to have Ellen!!

Go Ellen!!

ELLEN ROCKS!!!! on September 10, 2009 at 9:47 pm
37

Well , this is not a smart move, when Ellen host Oscar night, the show become so boring.
Paula and Simon, Randy has a chemistry, I don’t think Ellen has.

faefairy on September 11, 2009 at 12:19 am
38

I thought this past season sucked, the format sucked, and the addition of the 4th judge sucked. We didn’t really get to know the contestants as they focused on only Adam & kept shoving him down our throats & it became a season of “judges” and one contestant. Ellen just might add some interest but I don’t expect her to overpower any of the other judges. I vote to keep Ellen & get rid of “NO, NO BOUNDARIES” Kara.

Ronnie on September 13, 2009 at 5:26 pm