Ellen DeGeneres Dishes on Day One of Idol Gig

“Eliminating people is tough” says the new judge as she steps into Paula’s—or is it Simon’s?—shoes

By Peter Gicas Jan 13, 2010 8:42 PMTags

Ellen DeGeneres officially began her bid to try and outdo Ryan Seacrest in the multiple-job department by working her first day as an American Idol judge on Tuesday.

While Fox started airing the audition rounds in Boston last night, Ellen was busy taping the competition's Hollywood Week.

"It is an amazing time," the talk-show host said during Wednesday's episode of her own program. But she was quick to point out that being the bearer of bad news isn't exactly fun...

"I'm all for being honest, but eliminating people is tough," insisted Ellen. "I don't like that and I'm not that kind of person, because they have a name for a person who likes to hurt people's feelings. It's called Simon." 

On the other hand, breaking a few hearts might be a small price to pay if it means knowing ahead of time who's moving forward.

"If you have a good bookie, let me know," she quipped. 

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