Mariah Carey is leaving “American Idol.” And while the news may be a downer for fans of the reality singing competition, the diva’s Lambs are ecstatic over the reason why: a world tour.
Publicity firm PMK tweeted, “W/ global success of “#Beautiful” (#1 in 30+ countries so far) @MariahCarey confirms world tour & says goodbye 2 Idol.” Carey retweeted the announcement just a few minutes later.
Although her “one and done” work on “American Idol” has been a source of speculation for months, rumors intensified after Carey parted ways with her fellow judge and longtime manager Randy Jackson on May 8. The next day, Jackson announced that he would be leaving “Idol” himself after 12 seasons.
Shortly after Carey’s departure became public, Nicki Minaj announced that she, too, would be moving on from “Idol.”
“Thank you American Idol….Time to focus on the music,” she tweeted.
Minaj and Carey’s announcements come on the heels of last week’s reports that former “Idol” contestant Jennifer Hudson may be returning to the show, but this time behind the judges’ table, rather than on stage.
With the departure of three of its celebrity judges, the future of “American Idol” remains up in the air. Season 12 was the show’s lowest-rated since its rookie year, suggesting that audiences may be tiring of its formula or are perhaps defecting to one or more of the reality-competition imitators which sprung up in the wake of its success.
[This story was originally published at 7:51 pm EDT]
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