Seems like everyone—even people who were a part of it from day one—agrees: It was time to end American Idol.
"I'm grateful they decided to pull it," Nigel Lythgoe told E! News of Fox's decision to make next season Idol's last. "I'm likening it to a heavyweight boxer. You have to know when to quit. You don't want all these young kids coming along and knocking you out and taking all the credit. When you have been such a heavy puncher."
"It's just a sign of something that changed the world," Paula Abdul added, "and actually changed people's lives, and legitimized their dreams, has run its course. I'm fortunate to have been a part of it from day one."
Fox chairman Gary Newman told reporters he would love to bring back the original trio of Paula, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson…But Paula told us, "I haven't even spoken to anybody about it."
Nigel, who moved to the US in 2002 to become Idol's executive producer, and then moved on to create and star in So You Think You Can Dance, also hopes to be invited to the party.
"I'm hoping Fox will do this next year," he told me, "that they will bring back all of the American Idols, across all of the seasons. Let's bring back Randy, Paula and Simon, and let's bring back the executive producers. It would be fabulous. I've never stopped loving the program. It's changed my life totally. There would be no So You Think You Can Dance without Idol."
"Look I'm really blessed to be part of something that's changed the trajectory of my life," Paula said, "and television, from day one. And you know when I left, I left like a boxer retires. I left at the very top with the highest ratings. And I think when you're family is broken up a little bit, people felt that, and when Simon left, they felt that and Randy…but in this process the new judges are brilliant the chemistry between them is wonderful."
So You Think You Can Dance enters its 12th season on June 1, with Paula Abdul and Jason Derulo joining the judges table.
Hear about SYTYD's new changes and more on Idol in the videos above!