It's official: Simon Cowell, the judge we love to hate, is leaving "American Idol." The cynical Brit has seen the hit TV singing contest through eight successful seasons, and after the currently airing ninth season, Cowell will be saying "Smashing Bye!" The reason? He will be turning his focus to a show that he created and that is very popular in Britain - "The X Factor." Cowell will serve as a judge on the reality show as well as its executive producer.
"I was offered a lot of money to stay on," Cowell said. "But that wasn't the reason behind it. I wanted to do something different. I wanted a new challenge."
It seems like it's Idol producers who are posed with an even greater challenge. Cowell was the show's hugest attraction. As the most critical judge, people loved to hate him, and frankly there are some who simply ... hate him. All that emotion has translated into huge ratings for the highly successful show. Fox is optimistic however, because "The X Factor" will air on Fox as well, giving competitors yet another headache to contend with.
X Factor differs from Idol in that there is no age limit for the contestants. Cowell points to Susan Boyle's success on "Britain's Got Talent." The 48-year-old singer became a surprise sensation and released one of the year's top-selling CDs.
Cowell is not the first celebrity judge to leave Idol. Paula Abdul has already been replaced with Ellen Degeneres, and Cowell has been hinting at the possibility of Abdul joining him on his new show.
"I adore Paula," Cowell said. "Whatever happens, I will be working with her in some capacity, because I miss her."
As far as replacements for Cowell, Fox chairman of entertainment, Peter Rice, is cautious.
"We have to take our time on that," he said. "We have to make sure the chemistry of the judges is as good as it can be."
Without Cowell, will "American Idol" ever be as good as it was? It's only left to be seen.
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